The Spirit Room
by claire-jam36
Summary: Dennis's little sister, Mia, returns to the house to undo what her brother did. She befriends the ghosts in an attempt to reform them and turn them human. Romance between Torn Prince. Rated M for sexual scenes and swearing in later chapters!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Her Only Family**

'Where is he?' she screamed, anger spilled from her words. 'who?...' Arthur couldn't meet her dark gleaming eyes, he walked towards his car with Kathy and Bobby on either side and Maggie mumbling to herself from behind. 'Dennis! I know he came here tonight! where is he?' she followed them to the car, determined to get an answer, 'He-' 'Oh let me guess! he ran off when times got tough, typical Dennis-' 'NO! he didn't run off! he stood with us! till the very end... till HIS very end...' Arthur yelled. Mia shook her head, until her brain rewound back to Arthur's words. 'His end? ... oh no, no, no please don't tell me he is dead! my only family, in the whole world dead?' tears swam down her rosy cheeks, she collapsed to the floor and buried her head in her hands.  
>'Come on, Bobby... let's wait in the car' Kathy said, she led Bobby to the back of the car. Arthur fell down next to Mia, with an attempt to comfort her he wrapped his jacket around her bare shoulders. 'I'm sorry... er.. sorry but what's your name?' Arthur asked, a short laugh came out of Mia's mouth, 'Mia, my name's Mia'. Arthur's role as a father came into affect as he took her in his arms, Mia's hysterical sobs travelled through the remains of the old house, as if calling Dennis to her side.<p>

Hours seemed to have passed before Mia came back to the real world, Arthur sat with her until she was well enough to stand. Mia looked like a zombie, there in body, not in mind... her eyes looked like black holes, no life in her at all. Arthur had explained everything, not in too much detail for Mia's sake, he told her how Dennis was a hero. Mia nodded throughout, acting like it was going in one ear and coming out the other. Kathy tapped her watch towards her father, Arthur gave Mia his number for the future, Mia took it without even looking at him, Arthur turned away towards his family, 'WAIT!' Mia jogged towards him, 'So, what your saying is that, he tried to help the ghosts in a way?', Arthur seemed taken aback by the absurd question, his mouth fell open as he thought of the answer. 'Yes, i suppose he was, he tried to help us all', Mia nodded and walked off towards the broken glass house, the sound of the car driving along the pebble drive was the only sound in the air, until it eventually faded into the distance. Mia stepped up onto the porch steps and entered the house as if she had lived there her whole life, her face was still stained from the floods of tears, her brown curly hair bounced at her shoulders. Inside the house the framework glowed in the moonlight, crunches echoed beneath her black trainers, Mia didn't raise her head once, just continued down the fallen hall and into the basement.

Down the steps she went, through more piles of broken glass, more crunches under her feet. The house looked quite beautiful in the night light, the remaining etchings on the wall sparkled like glitter. Mia stopped infront of a perfect sheet of glass, untouched by the explosion, she examined the sheet like it held a great mystery. A tear fell off her face, her eyes followed the tear as it hit a pair of clear specs covered in a red substance. Mia swallowed hard as she picked up the specs, she definatly knew what the specs were covered with, she closed her eyes as she placed them on her face. She raised her head slowly and fluttered her eyes open, scanning the hallway for any ghosts. Mia knew exactly what she was doing, as well as knowing all about Dennis's line of work, she turned her head to the end of the hall where the moon cast a bright line of white light. Tears leaked from her eyes as she took in the figure standing beneath the moon. 'Hey, Mee-Mee' his soft voice felt like velvet to Mia.  
>Mia chuckled behind her tears, 'Hey, Dennis'. Mia looked straight into her brother's green eyes, a smile spread across his face as he looked at his sister's face.<br>She sprinted over to Dennis like a child to it's mother. Dennis grabbed her as she jumped into his arms, his arms wrapped round her like a blanket. Mia sobbed into his shoulder as Dennis stroked her hair.  
>'How could you? How could you leave me when there was a chance you would never return?'Mia sobbed.<br>Dennis placed her onto the floor, and held her at the shoulders. 'I didn't have a choice, Mia. Cyrus owed me money, owed US money for that matter, I just needed to get it, and things just... got out of control, I couldn't just fuck off and leave Arthur'  
>Mia laughed, 'So you chose to stay in a house full of deadly ghosts, rather than dent your fucking concience'.<br>'HEY! your 17, no bad language missy!' Mia frowned at him like a little child. Dennis smiled, 'I was the only one that could help him, he need to find his kids, if that was you in there I would have stayed till my last breath was torn out of me'.  
>'Yeah well, your wish has been granted, your now dead, and i'm now alone in the world, with no family. I hope your consience is satisfied' Mia's eyes welled up as she turned away from her brother, she wanted to smack her head against the floor just in case all this was a dream.<br>'Mia, we can work through this, we can do it, you know I wouldn't just die without a back up plan for you' he winked at her with love in his eyes. Dennis wasn't old but he didn't have his youthful face anymore, his hair was matted with blood from his head injury. Mia cringed at the thought of her brother's death, Dennis picked up on her feelings, 'Kiddo, don't worry about it, I was a tough cookie'.  
>Mia rolled her eyes, 'Even in death your still as arrogant as ever', Dennis chuckled, 'You know me'.<br>'Dennis, tell me exactly what happened, and don't even bother telling me I'm too young, I'm 17, all that means is that I don't have wrinkles', Mia placed her hands on her hips and waited for his explination.  
>'You always were stubborn. Okay, I'll tell you, but afterwards we HAVE to talk about more serious matters, deal?' Dennis stuck out his hand. Mia stared at his gesture, then looked at his puppy dog eyes, 'Ergh, fine!', she took his hand. 'Brill. Now, where to begin...'<p>

The full moon was now beaming against the dark sky. Mia has slumped to a clear bit of the floor, transfixed on her brother. Dennis had told her everything, from the Arcanum to the Juggernaut, Mia sat their in silence as it all made sense. 'Okay... I get all that, but I don't get how you can look after me. Your dead!' she spat the final words at him, Dennis winced. 'This is the part where you tell me the brilliant plan, Dennis' Mia reminded him, Dennis leant against the shattered framework, 'I don't know, Mia. I was hoping it was all going to ... fall into place'. Mia scoffed, 'Oh yeah, like everything else!', she stood up and kicked a piece of glass down the hall. Dennis collapsed onto the floor, not bothered about the glass, course not, he was dead. 'Mia, I know that me and you had a small difference in opinions when it came to Cyrus and the ghosts, but-', Mia interrupted with a tremedous laugh that could have shook the house. 'Oh please, Dennis! a small difference? Are you frickin' kidding me? You kissed Cyrus's ass, you agreed to capture those people! Yes... People!', Dennis closed his eyes, not willing to argue with her. 'It wasn't that simple... Cyrus promised me money, fuck loads of money. He gave me a job where I could use my gift...' he grunted at his own words, 'Gift. More like a curse. Yours on the other hand is a like a gift, Mia. Use it'. Mia shook her head vigorously, 'With what?' she said quietly.  
>'With what you believe is right', Dennis knelt down next to his little sister, and took her hand. 'You believe these... people have some good left in them,right?' Mia looked at him and nodded.<br>'Right, so that's the plan. Use your gift to change them, to help them, you have the knowledge, the skills, and me. I'll be with you every step of the way'. He looked at her with complete faith, she smiled at him and flushed a shade of pink.  
>'You have that much faith in me?' she asked.<br>'Totally' he replied, flashing her a brilliant smile.  
>Mia chuckled a little and stood up. She wandered towards one of the remaining cubicles, her fingers traced the Latin etching. 'The Torn Prince...' she sighed, she strolled down the hall and closed her eyes, 'The Jackal...'. Dennis stood behind her and stroked her hair,' You do know what I'm in for right?' she asked him. 'Yeah, but then again, if all goes well, you'll have some pretty decent fighters on your side. Watch someone try and mug you when the Juggernaut is on your side, woah. Shit's going down!' Mia laughed at her brother's stupid comment, even though he did have a point.<p>

The night was nearly over, she had talked to her brother's ghost for hours on end. She eventually crashed out in his van outside the house, as she lay on the dingy fabric seats, she couldn't get her mind to hush. She sat up and looked out the window, the glass house lay shattered in the field, she imagined it all fixed again, big and grand like it was. She gave a deep sigh, 'God, I'll need your help soon, look out for me, please?'. She lay back down and closed her eyes, keeping her mind away from the horrific beings she would encounter very soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Plan**

Mia rolled over half asleep and fell head first into the steering wheel. 'Owwww! Holy crap!' she cursed, she sat up slowly letting the events of last night fall into her memory. Sadness flushed across her face, tears started to build, she shook them away as she climbed out the van. Mia gazed up at the sun, shining brightly in the cold blue sky, she grabbed the clear specs from the dashboard and slammed the door. 'Dennis! I know ghosts can't sleep!' she yelled as she placed the specs on her face, and there he was standing right infront of her with an amused look on his face.  
>'You always were a grump in the morning, Mee. Mom hated it', Dennis chuckled. Mia reached up and put her wild hair in a quick bun, 'yeah, well it would have been cool for her to see me now' she replied with a dimpled smile.<br>The trees swayed with a soft rhythum as Mia and Dennis cleared some of the rubble, the van held many tools that were suitable for their day's work. Dennis sighed as he filled another bag with broken glass, Mia had sketched a map of the building, including the specific cubicles of the ghosts. 'Dennis... what was in this room?' she pointed to the large room at the bottom of the basement hall. Dennis turned the paper in his direction, 'Oh, that was the machine room, it was where all the shit happened, the brain of the house if you will', he turned and went back to work. Mia stood and followed her map to the 'machine room', she stuffed the map in her pocket as she started to search through the rubble. Dennis had joined her in the room, he looked at her curiously, 'What are you doing?' he asked. She didn't look up at him, just continued to sift through the glass, 'Mia?' he asked again. Mia stopped and frowned at him, 'I'm looking for something' she said sharply, she quickly sprinted to the other side of the room and lifted more glass. Dennis frowned at her, not appreciating the attitude, he walked over so he was standing right above her, she brought her head up to look at his emerald eyes. 'What are you looking for?' he asked, she rolled her eyes, 'money if you must know' she replied moving pieces of glass from the corner. Dennis stood there staring at his sister, 'money? there is none, the lawyer took off with it' he sat down on a steel girder, 'bastard took off with it all' he muttered. Mia walked over to her brother and placed a hand on his non-existant shoulder,'well this may cheer you up a little' she giggled and motioned for him to follow her. They walked down the hall to a very large pile of glass, mixed in with metal and ... blood, Mia grabbed her gloves and started shifting the glass. Dennis glared at the figure that was being revealed, the lawyer, Mia fell onto the floor and raised a wad of money, smiling at her brother. Dennis held his head in his hands, and started chuckling under his breath, 'Fucking hell... he didn't get chance to run off the twat', Dennis let out a colossal laugh, Mia jumped a little at her brothers sudden change of emotion.  
>'I knew it was already here, just decided to look for some extra' Mia beamed, Dennis rose and hugged his little sister with such force Mia found it hard to breath. 'Dennis, Dennis, Dennis!'he let go and rubbed his face with his hands, he crouched down and stroked the money.<br>'Mee, this means you don't have to help them, you can just leave, start a new life. Fuck, with this load you could move out the country!' Dennis told her. Mia studied the suggestion for a minute before shaking her head, 'No. I can't just leave, and even if I wanted too, the ghosts need help... Jesus Christ, haven't they had enough torture for one life?'. Dennis looked at her with wide eyes, 'I don't know, Mia' he replied, Mia looked at him and snorted, 'rhetorical question, bro'. Dennis rolled his eyes, 'oh, right. Well, it doesn't matter, but... Mia, I want you to be safe. I could never forgive myself if those things hurt you'.  
>Mia settled herself next to Dennis, 'I understand that. However-', 'Oh, God', Mia laughed and thumped him, 'However, I want to help them, and with my gift I can easily control them' she smirked at him. 'Okay, let's hope controlling people's minds does actually work, and your plan works out. I pray it works out', Dennis strolled back to the van and grabbed a rucksack. He bent down and started stuffing the money into the bag, by the looks of it, a couple of million had to be lying next to the lawyer's corpse.<p>

The day had passed quite quickly, the sun rolling from one side of the sky to another. Mia and Dennis has talked all day, talking right to the soul, learning more about one another than they ever had before. 'So, what's happening then? With the money', Mia inquired, she was sitting in the seat of the van with her dead brother next to her. Dennis stared out the window, he started to giggle, 'Well, I have a plan, a good one in fact', Mia leant back in her seat waiting for her brother's idea.  
>'You take the van and the money. Go to the nearest town with a phonebox, call a top building company, and tell them to rebuild this property, exactly how it was. The blueprints are in the back of the van, tell them you want it done ASAP. Don't pay them more than a million', Dennis looked deep in thought as he imagined the steps his sister should take. Mia listened intently as her brother drew in a deep breath.<br>'Once the building is complete, I call what spirits I can. Some should definatly return, I'll get them back into the cubicles, you work your magic with them. Done'. Mia snorted at how the hardest part was rushed by Dennis, on the other hand it seemed like a good idea. Mia looked at her brother with great admiration, 'that's actually a really good idea, Dennis'. He beamed at her, 'Thanks, Mee!', Dennis slid out of the car, he tapped the bonnet and winked at Mia. Mia started up the engine and put on her seatbelt, she really didn't trust her driving.  
>She smiled at Dennis one last time before she removed her glasses, placing them on the empty seat next to her. She drove down the driveway and turned the corner towards the town, leaving her brother behind.<p>

Mia drove down the road passing only a couple of houses, Cyrus really liked his privacy, for obvious reasons. Shortly afterwards buildings came into view, along with a sign saying 'Willow-Grove'. Mia parked next to a row of shops, she went through what Dennis had told her, remembering everything. She jumped out the van and wandered down the road to find a small phonebox, chained inside was a local phonebook, she searched through and found a large advert for a builder. She dialled the number and waited for an answer.  
>'Hello?'<br>'Oh, Hi. I'm looking for a group of builders to do a full reconstruction of a house for me'.  
>The phone went silent for a while, 'Right okay. You do realise we charge a high rate, depending on the size of the property'<br>'Yes, I realise that, I have the blueprints with me and the money', Mia sounded confident and mature, not acting her young 17 year old self.  
>'Okay, Madam. If you could come along to our office I would be happy to talk with you'<br>'That would be wonderful, is now okay?'  
>'Sure, the address is 17, Lingsley Road. Know it?'<br>Mia laughed a little, 'I'll find it, thankyou. See you soon'. She hung up and raced back to the van, she pulled out the map, Mia scanned it for Lingsley Road. She got it.  
>Mia started up the van and followed the directions the map gave her. She passed through the town, it was small but practical. It had shops for all the essentials and beautiful houses that could easily cost an arm and a leg.<br>Eventually she pulled into a small car park of 'Willow-Grove Builders', it was a small building with two floors. Mia sighed and grabbed the bag containing the blueprints and the money. Just as she slammed the van door, a short, scrubby man came out of the building, he acknowledged Mia and smiled.  
>'Hello, can I help you?' he asked.<br>'Yeah, I'm suposed to be coming round to talk about blueprints for a house' Mia replied.  
>He nodded his head in understanding, 'So your the mystery caller, we were starting to wonder if you actually existed. We get a lot of prank calls'.<br>Mia chuckled as he motioned for her to enter the building, she sat down on a chair in the waiting area while the man talked to the receptionist.  
>'Right, care to follow me?' he asked.<br>Mia stood up and followed the man into a small office, Mia didn't have the time or energy to beat around the bush.  
>She sat down in the chair infront of him and fetched the blueprints.<br>'I'm so sorry to rush this by the way. Right, this is the blueprint of a house that has recently collapsed a few miles away, just an accident inside, I need the house built again in exactly the same way. These files explain everything, how it was, how it's made, everything. I need it done within the next month, rushed, I know', she stopped to take a deep breath.  
>'You probably thinking, how am I going to pay for this? well, I'll pay anything, the top end of the charge, and extra for fast work', she gave him a sweet smile as he sat there with his mouth open.<br>He cleared his throat and looked into her sweet brown eyes. 'Taking everything into account, including the extent of the project, the building work would cost around... 500 grand', he whispered the last part, as if it would be a real shock. Mia shrugged, 'Done'.  
>The man gasped a little, and leant back in his chair, giving Mia a stare that cut right to the bone.<br>'When can you start?' Mia demanded, the man didn't break eye contact.  
>'Tomorrow', he sounded stunned with his own reply. Mia grinned, she nodded to the man and they shook hands. Mia wrote down the address of the house, read through the contract and signed.<br>She left the building beaming, the sun had gone down now and the stars were shining brightly once again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Time to Call**

The shine of the sun reflecting off the house was quite blinding as Mia stood at the end of the driveway. The tremedous glass house was finished, as the builders packed away their equipment after 4 long, hard weeks. Mia closed her eyes and called Dennis to her side in a tiny whisper. She slowly brought out the specs from her pocket and slid them on her face, she looked to her right and saw her older brother gazing at the house he had lost his soul in. Jim, the builder approached her with a sheet of paper, he smiled as he wiped his forehead of sweat. 'Cool glasses' he charmed, she smiled as he handed her the final sheet of paperwork, Mia signed on the dotted line and thanked him and his team for their great work. During the building work, Mia had been busy spending the money, sensibly of course. She purchased new furniture for all the rooms, and had sorted out her own problems of accomodations throughout the work.

As the last van drove around the corner, she squealed a little with happiness. Dennis was standing on the porch looked into the glass house, Mia strolled towards the house and entered. She looked around at the perfect glass walls, the bright Latin etchings swirling all around the house. 'I feel trapped... wonder how the others felt' he muttered, he touched the wall as the Latin inscriptions lit up like a christmas tree.  
>'Do the inscriptions work on you?' Mia asked, inspecting the gleaming wall. Dennis scoffed, 'it applies to all ghosts, but I'm not contained... I'm not written in the black zodiac. They didn't want me' he laughed at the thought of being kicked out of a ghost book. Mia took his hand, 'that's good in a way though, at least your not contained like them, I can have you at my side' she gazed at her brother. He looked down at her from his 6ft 3 height, Mia wasn't exactly short but her 5ft 8 frame seemed a tad small compared to Dennis. His smile spread across his pale face, wrinkles forming at his eyes. Mia left Dennis to himself, the house had hurt Dennis, he needed to heal. Mia walked down the corridor into the main hall, its walls sparkled in the sunlight, she looked to her left and stared down the stairs into the basement, 'no' she thought, 'there couldn't be any ghosts down there...'. She held onto the door frame, 'Dennis!' she looked around and he was there in a flash, he followed her gaze and gulped.<br>'I doubt if there are any down there, they would need to get past the containment spells in the front door' he explained, his voice seemed hushed as if someone was listening. Mia slipped her foot down to the first step, she checked that her specs were firmly on her face. Dennis shook his head, 'Mia, breath. Let me go' and with that he dissapeared. Mia stood at the top of the stairs until she heard Dennis call, 'Mia! come on, its fine!'. She jogged down the stairs and saw him standing in one of the open cubicles, he shrugged, 'never thought I would be in the Jackal's cubicle and not dead... oh, I am now. Damn, I thought that was an achievement' he laughed at his comment, Mia giggled at her childish brother. She walked across the hall to another cubicle, the torn prince, for some strange reason, Mia felt drawn to him, out of curiousity possibly, even Mia didn't know.

Mia and Dennis checked out all the house and unloaded boxes of new furniture, in a way she had forgotten he was a ghost. She flung herself onto the master bed at around 2 o'clock, she curled up a ball, relishing in its comfort. Dennis had agreed to watch her outside her room, Mia didn't see the need, however Dennis insisted. Mia was showered and changed and into bed in less than half an hour. She climbed into bed, relaxed, warm and safe. She shouted goodnight to Dennis, of course without the specs he was invisible, Mia just seemed to be talking to herself. She closed her eyes and left reality.

Mia woke in the morning with a feeling of eyes upon her, she groaned and reached for the glasses beside her, 'Dennis! fuck off!' she screamed at the man sitting in the chair beside her bed. Dennis's eyes went wide, 'what? i got bored, wanted to check if you were ok. Oh, and DON'T SWEAR MIA!' he rose from his chair and walked to the shelf, placing a book neatly on the shelf.'I'll go wait in the kitchen for you then', he turned sharply and dissapeared. Mia fell back into bed and whined as she pushed away the covers. Mia threw on a white vest top and a pair of jeans before thumping down the stairs to the kitchen. It seemed like any normal house, that was about to change very soon.  
>She walked into the kitchen to see Dennis huddled over a book, unusual for Dennis, she spied over his shoulder to see the pages of the arcanum.<br>'I thought there was only one copy... didn't it get destroyed with the house?' Mia asked pouring a glass of orange juice.  
>Dennis shook his head, 'this isn't the original, exactly the same information though', he replied. Mia sat herself down on the sofa in the living room, Dennis walked in and stood in the doorway.<br>'Mia, I want to call them today, not tonight, it feels safer for you in the day. Finish your juice, and meet me on the Ocularis Infernum', he dissapeared without a final word. Mia sat there staring into space for a minute or two, finally she rose to put her glass in the kitchen and meet Dennis.  
>Dennis was standing in the middle of the room when Mia walked in, she chewed on her lip as she approached her brother.<br>'I'm sorry, Mia. My head's all over the place, I need to make sure I'm doing this right...' he put his hand to his forehead and wiped at nothing. Mia put on a brave face and strolled over to his side, he have her a reassuring smile. Dennis motioned for Mia to stand in the middle of the ocularis infernum, Mia stood there proud ready to face whatever horror was about to come. She felt so distant from Dennis as he positioned himself by the door. Suddenly he dissapeared from site, Mia was about to walk over but as soon as she lifted her foot, the metal rings shot up! Soaring and twirling all around her, gaining speed with every second. Mia have a shriek of fright as Dennis reappeared in the doorway, he smiled at her and have her a childish thumbs up.  
>Dennis moved forward, towards Mia, he took in a deep breath as the machine reached its maximum speed.<br>'Members of the Black Zodiac...' his voice was clear and booming, Mia closed her eyes and found it hard to recognise his voice.  
>'Erm... can I call you for a minute?', he continued, Mia snickered at his sudden change of character. Dennis giggled a little and continued, 'The First Born Son...' Mia looked up to see a young boy, standing across her, she gasped at the arrow protruding from his forehead.<br>'The Torso...' Mia looked next to the boy, no ghost appeared, her gaze flew over to Dennis who shrugged and continued. 'The Bound Woman...', just as fast as the boy appeared the woman appeared right across from Mia, in a strange way she looked fairly pretty in her light pink prom the horrible injury on her neck grabbed your attention. She snarled at Mia as Dennis called another ghost, 'The... w-Withered Lover...', Dennis bowed his head with a look of torture on his face. A woman dressed in a hospital gown flashed next to the bound woman, burns down the left side of her beautiful face, unlike the other ghosts she looked around and smiled at her and Dennis. 'The Torn Prince...', the flash returned as a young man appeared, half his face torn down his right side, on his left side he looked more of a James Dean character. Mia couldn't help but blush when he glanced in her direction, Dennis cleared his throat. 'The Angry Princess...', Mia's eyes scanned across the room, Dennis stared at the empty space as another ghost failed to join. 'The Pilgrimess...', another empty space, 'The Great Child...', Dennis's words started to tremble as the space stayed empty. Mia studied the present ghosts, she caught the eye contact of the torn prince, but glanced away before she could examine him furthur. 'The Dire Mother...', Dennis swallowed and skipped to the next ghost, 'The Hammer...', with a loud growl a tall, black man stood there, nails sticking out from all over his body, a hammer was attached to the stump of his wrist. Mia looked away out of shock as Dennis called the next ghost, 'The Jackal...'. Mia knew enough to look away as the straight-jacket bound monster entered the circle, the rusted old cage fixed to his horrifying face. Dennis gazed at Mia as he called the last ghost, 'The Juggernaut...', Dennis's voice started to tremble as his killer was brought to the circle. 7ft tall, and covered in bullet holes, he growled at the other members.

Dennis walked closer to the tranquil ghosts, their eyes followed him as he caught Mia's attention. 'Mia, talk to them, explain, use your power, only a little... it works best with individuals' Dennis explained, it was scary to Mia that he knew more about her gift. Mia scanned all the ghosts in the circle, wincing at their evil looks.  
>'I'm not like Cyrus, I don't intend to trap you... not at all. I believe you all can be saved, and that's what I want to do, I want to help you, so you can become civilized and not live in a world of horror. You can choose to leave if you really want too, stay if you want some help, some... normality'. Mia looked into their eyes, making her words very clear. No sound came out of any of the ghosts, just a mixture of emotions, Mia breathed in deeply as Dennis nodded his head in encouragment.<br>'Please, just stay, I can help you, your not prisoners. Patients, and I promise you... I will help you', the corners of her mouth pulled up to give a small friendly smile.  
>Dennis walked forward and talked to the infernum, as Mia closed her eyes and concentrated. She opened them back up to find just her and Dennis in the glass room. The steel rings were slowing down and lowering into the floor, the ghosts had dissapeared. The floor gave a clunk as the last rings fitted into place.<br>Mia tested the floor with her foot before walked over to solid ground, she collapsed on the floor and curled into a ball. 'That was so frickin scary!' she mumbled into her lap, Dennis sat down next to her, 'Yeah, but you did it, Mia' he praised.  
>Mia looked up at him, questions flooded her mind, 'Why weren't they all there?' she asked, curiousity filling her eyes. Dennis looked away, and shrugged, 'I don't know, maybe the others are too far away to be affected by the calling'. Mia nodded as she at up, her face was flushed a bright shade of pink, she got to her feet, and looked down, she wiggled her toes a little before coming to the conclusion they were cold. She turned to go up the stairs before Dennis got in her way, she gave him a questioning look. 'Can I go get some socks, please?' she asked with a sarcastic grin, Dennis smirked. 'You got one less ghost to deal with, Mia. The Juggernaut left while you... zoned out', Dennis did the whole spooky hand gesture. Mia frowned at him, 'Why?', Dennis flung his shoulders up. 'Didn't want the treatment, obviously' he replied with little dismay. Mia smiled and carried on up the stairs, she grabbed a pair of stripey socks and ran back downstairs. Dennis was waiting at the bottom and pointed her in the direction of the basement, 'Gonna' have to face them sometime, Mia' he told her. She let out a groan and submissed, the walk to the basement seemed to take a long time. Mia followed Dennis down the stairs and stood at the top of the basement hall, all the ghosts eyes became fixed on her, staring at her, taking in every detail.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: It wasn't your fault**

Mia froze, all the ghosts glared at her. She looked to her right and met the eyes of the Torn Prince, he frowned at her then softed his expression. Mia stepped forward into the main part of the corridor, Dennis flashed infront of her and smiled at her. Mia slowly turned to face the left, the Jackal stared at her from behind his rusted cage, she looked him straight in his bright blue eyes.  
>'I appreciate you all staying, I-' 'Why are you helping us?' Mia looked around to find the source of the question. Jean Kriticos gazed at her from her glass cubicle, she smiled to reassure Mia. Mia gave her a sweet dimpled smile, 'I didn't agree with what Cyrus was doing, you guys are humans. I think you deserve a good afterlife like any other person, what happened in your lives... wasn't your fault' she shifted her gaze around the faces watching her. Jean seemed amazed by what Mia had said, Dennis was watching all of this and seemed to keep quiet as the ghosts may not be his favourite fans. Mia looked straight at Dennis, 'Another thing to say, Dennis is a douche. A big douche. In a way... I hate him, for what he did to you all, but I guess now... he has paid the price' Mia said. Dennis looked at his feet and nodded his head slowly.<br>'How do you intend to 'reform' us?' the voice was sarcastic, arrogant and felt like pure gold. Mia licked her lips and turned to face Royce, the torn prince, he brought one side of his face up and gave her a charming smile.  
>'I have a power... but I'll only use it with permission', she tried to make that very clear. He chuckled, 'a power? care to go into more detail?' he replied with a toothy smile. Mia felt her face go red, 'I can control people's mind, I can tell them things and they believe them, and use them'. Royce looked her up and down, his eyes went wide, 'how do we know when your doing it?' he asked sweetly. 'I'll make total eye contact and you'll zone out, just concentrating on my words. I assure you I would always tell you beforehand', Mia said, she noticed that she had advanced several steps towards Royce. Royce looked her straight in the eyes, his eyes sparkled even in death, Mia pulled away from his gaze. She started looking at all the other ghosts, looking at their body language mainly. She stopped by Jean's cubicle, 'Can I start with you, please?' Mia asked, placing her hand on the glass wall. Jean laughed, 'I guess I am the least threatening here', she nodded her head and the cubicle door opened with a click of a button.<p>

Mia kept constant eye contact with Jean, just to be safe. Mia smiled at Jean, 'I know what happened to you Jean... I know how much you love your family. It wasn't fair that you died, definatly not. However, you now stuck in a ... tortured relm, its a bad place to be. You can change that though... just release all your negetive energy, all the hurtful feelings towards those who have hurt you, release it Jean! Release it!' Mia locked eyes with Jean, and passed the energy through. Jean gasped, her head flew back as she started to sob, the energy was gone. Mia's face was as bright as the sun, however she realised that Jean was the most loving ghost, she was the easiest and the quickest to heal. A mixture of gasps and whispers came from behind Mia, the ghosts had saw the energy escape her, saw Jean... free. 'Woah... cool' was all Mia heard from behind, she assumed it was Royce. Jean closed her eyes for a second then re-opened them, her eyes shined with life, she took hold of Mia's hand, 'You have an extroidinary gift'.  
>Mia smiled, 'Thankyou'. Mia left the cubicle and leant against the glass in the hallway, Dennis stood above her and kissed her forehead. 'Who are you?', everyone's eyes shot to the dark figure in the corner. The Jackal, Ryan Kuhn, had come right up to the glass, his crackly voice alerted everyone. His eyes were cold as he stared at Mia, she wiped her forehead, 'I'm Mia Rafkin, Dennis's sister'. Ryan grunted at the reply, 'You knew about this all along, and you did nothing?' he spat the question at her. Mia winced, 'I didn't know what they were doing... I couldn't stop them anyway, at least I'm helping now...'.<br>Ryan scoffed, 'We'll see', he sulked back into the corner of his cubicle. Mia closed her eyes and stood up, Royce caught her eye, he motioned for her to come closer. Royce looked at Mia with deep curiousity, he seemed to like her, in a way that would seem inappropriate. 'Don't worry about it, you caught him on a good day, usually he would be screaming at you, scratching at the walls. That kind of shit', he smirked at her. 'I heard that!', Ryan snapped, Mia looked at Ryan as he lay curled up in his cubicle, she looked back at Royce who was staring at her. Mia folded her arms, 'Do you believe me then?', Royce threw his head back in laughter, 'maybe, we'll have to see. I'm not gonna' brush you off, you seem like a good kid'. Mia was astounded, 'Kid!' she thought, they were the same age. Royce was very intuituve, 'I'm technically 40 years older than you, your a kid to me' he laughed. Mia nodded, Dennis came up behind her, Royce stiffened and let out a low growl, Mia looked down at her feet. 'Mia, I think we leave it for a bit, let them discuss it between them' Dennis said, his head bowed down, as guilt covered him. Mia looked at Royce, 'yeah, let them... talk about it' she replied. Royce gave her a cocky smile as she turned to leave the basement, she trudged up the stairs and slid the door of the basement shut behind her.

As soon as she was out of sight, the ghosts all stared at one another, waiting for the first person to talk.  
>'Do you trust her?' Ryan mumbled, scanning the hall. Royce was the first to answer, 'I wouldn't have been so calm if I didn't'. Jean called for attention, 'she really does have a gift... it worked, just trust her, let her help' her voice was soft and delicate. Ryan scoffed, 'right, okay. How did you end up here? your like a fucking angel', he turned his attention to The Hammer, George, he seemed to be frowning at Ryan.<br>'You going to say something, George?', Ryan asked, clearly hoping that George would side with him. George glared at him, 'I don't care... I have nothing else to do, everyone I love is gone'. The basement went silent, Billy was the one to break the silence, 'You were a lot angrier before...' he frowned like a small child. The innocence in his statement produced a chuckle from George. Ryan couldn't help but laugh at the boy too, Royce stopped the laughter, 'Guys, just.. go for it, whats the worst that can happen?'. The Bound Woman, Susan, started shrieking with laughter, 'you do realise people... Royce has got a crush!' she said it with such poison in her voice, no one bothered to laugh. Royce scowled at her, 'that's hilarious, Susan. Mia might have a hard task with you, bitch!', a few chuckles escaped the ghosts lips as Susan stood there stunned.  
>'Fine, go and get fucked over by the human! She can't help any of you anyway!' she stormed off to the corner of her cubicle. Royce rolled his eyes before giving her the finger. 'Why didn't you just go when you had the chance too then?' Ryan snapped at her, she fixed her evil eyes on him, he growled. 'I thought I would stay here and watch you lot get fucked!' her evil laugh made everyone bare their teeth. 'She just stayed here cause' no one else fucking wanted her!' Royce spat, Ryan smiled at him, in total agreement. Billy jumped up in his cubicle, 'Shut up, Susan! Your a bitch!' he giggled at his use of a curse word. Jean told him off for being so rude while everyone else laughed in unison.<br>George ended the laughter, 'I say we trust her, if she thinks she can help us... let the kid try'. Everyone nodded in agreement except Susan, who cursed Mia from the corner, Royce felt like punching Susan, not for being a bitch, but for being a bitch to Mia. Royce actually... liked Mia.

Mia returned to the basement after a couple of hours, she did the polite thing of asking to come in first. Ryan found this extremley amusing, he lay on his cubicle floor giggling insanely, Mia waited outside his cubicle. Ryan's giggling had stopped, it was everyone else's turn to giggle, as Ryan tried to stand up, the cage around his head weighed him down. Ryan struggled to get himself off the floor, Mia felt it rude to laugh at him so hid her laughs with the surrounding ones.  
>Royce called her over during Ryan's struggle, 'Alright doll?' he asked giving her a cheeky smile. Mia gave a quick smile, 'what's the verdict? Can I be trusted?' she was confident with her words but Royce picked up on something. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, 'you really wanna' help us don't you?' his voice was soft... just normal. Mia looked at the floor away from his blue eyes, 'yeah, I hate not being able to help', Royce nodded at her and winked.<br>'Don't worry doll, you get to help us. We all agreed it was good' his smile seemed so genuine that Mia could fall straight into it. A rude noise came from behind her, she turned to see Susan glaring at her with her lip curled up. Royce laughed, 'I thought you were ugly to start with, that just makes it worse' he joked, the whole room seemed to be looking at the three of them. Mia tried to back away from the fight, Royce stopped insulted Susan for a second to say, 'Wait, don't go!', Mia felt the jaws of the ghosts, drop. Mia went bright red, 'Well... erm, your a bit busy' she replied, Royce chuckled, 'what with that?' and pointed to Susan. Mia nodded feeling Susan's stares on the back of her head, Royce chuckled, 'forget about her'.  
>Susan growled at Royce before Ryan told her to be quiet, saying it politely of course.<p>

The next few hours Mia spent time getting to know them, with her powers they were very calm and talkative. She started with Billy, he was a little chatterbox when he got going, he dreamed of being a cowboy and fighting indian savages. He swayed back and forth in his fantasy land, unaware of Mia moving along the corridor. Mia glanced towards Royce who was already staring at her, he didn't bother to glance in another direction.  
>Mia smiled at Jean as she strolled down the hall to George's cubicle, the look he gave her wasn't exactly friendly, his cold stare gave Mia goosebumps.<br>'Is it my turn to talk to the therapist?' he asked with a raised eyebrow, Mia flushed a shade of pink. Mia looked at him as a smile peeked through on his masked face, 'I can't help but smile at you, your so... brave'. Mia gawped at him, trying to make sense of his comment, she shook away her train of thought, and concentrated on George.  
>'I know you miss your family' Mia said looking into the distance of his cubicle, George's eyes flashed to her as the room fell silent. 'I miss mine too... Dennis was my only family left, I'm on my own now' she blew a raspberry as George stared at her.<br>'I miss them dearly' George replied looking at Mia with tearful eyes, Mia put her hand to the glass as a peace sign, 'I know, George. It hurts so much' Mia pushed back tears. 'You have to push through, for them. Would they want to see you like this?' Mia asked him, still keeping eye contact. George shook his head, as a tear fell down his bloody cheek. Mia wiped away her own tears and smiled at him, she followed the hallway to the next cubicle, 'wait!' Mia turned her head back to George, 'I'm sorry... about Dennis', the whole basement stared at him in disbelief. Mia gulped and nodded, not believing her ears, she continued down the hall and stood staring at Ryan. He backed away from the glass and advanced towards her at a great speed, Mia snapped her eyes shut.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: I love you**

Ryan hit the glass with a loud smack! Mia peeked through her eyelashes at the ghost lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Mia imagined him as a turtle, trying to find its feet after his imcredible fall. Ryan struggled with the weight of the cage around his head, sliding his body over the glass floor, an enormous burst of laughter filled the basement as the ghosts watched Ryan in his predicament. Billy down the hall was rolling around his cubicle in fits of hysterical laughter, Mia caught a flash of Ryan's smile as he rose to his feet. He shook his head, regaining his balance, Billy was still chuckling from his cubicle, Ryan's eyes flashed with happiness at the happy child. Mia couldn't help but consider the idea of Ryan planning that to amuse Billy. Ryan straightened out his cage while he looked straight at Mia, she smiled at him, giving him a sign she new about his plan. He shrugged and flashed her quite a charming smile, Mia settled herself next to hs cubicle and started to talk to him, Ryan wasn't an evil person. Sure he had anger issues but Mia completley understood that, he had had a rough life, he was just born in the time where no one could really help. Mia felt a twing of sympathy for Ryan, the way he was angry one minute, and sane the next. Mia had caught him on a good day, he sat down with her and talked of random things, Mia was quite amused by Ryan. Ryan however got a stab of feeling when talking to Mia, he could talk to her, be himself while talking to her, 'oh no' he thought to himself. Mia looked down the hall and caught sight of Susan glaring at her, 'sorry, Ryan, but I'm gonna' go talk to Susan'. Ryan looked shocked, 'why?, Mia shrugged 'see if I can get a converation out of her like you' Mia smiled and got up off the floor. 'I won't talk to you now, I'm all talked out' Ryan said. Mia laughed as she walked to Susan's corner of basement. Susan was slumped in the corner, her neck bending in the unusual way. She looked up to see Mias's pretty face by the glass, Susan snapped at her, 'fuck off!' she yelled. Mia had got used to the swearing down here and just shrugged, she felt confident that she would make progress with Susan.  
>'Dennis!' Mia called his, it echoed throughout, Dennis appeared and smiled at her with a flash of his teeth.<br>'What's up, Mee?' he asked, Mia liked how he never got angry or annoyed with her, she hugged im after her moment of thought.  
>'Nothing much, but I'm gonna' go into Susan's cell, she-'<br>'What?' a crash of silence followed the question. All the ghosts stared at Mia, with true fear, even Ryan looked worried.  
>'You can't go in there with her, what if she hurts you?' all eyes turned to Royce, his feelings for Mia just came to light.<br>'Oh, let her in! She can meet me personally' Susan snarled with a sick smile, her smile brought about a crowd of growls.  
>Mia shook her head, 'I can use my power! Chill! Anyone would think I'm 5!' Mia chuckled.<br>'No... I don't trust her with you' Dennis said with concern etched on his face, nods of agreement filled the room.  
>'Please, Dennis. I know what I'm doing. Just watch the door, anyway... you can just watch' Mia winked at him as a smile spread across his face.<br>Dennis nodded as screams of protest echoed throughout the hall. The doors retreated in the walls as Mia stepped forward into the glass room, the atmosphere suffocated her, so much darkness in one cubicle. Susan rose to her feet, Mia stared at her as she advanced towards her. Mia ducked out the way and signalled for Dennis to keep the door closed. Mia held up her arms in a defensive position, Susan took pleasure in her weakness.  
>'Look at the pathetic little human now!' she raised her hand and smacked away Mia's arms, twisting them with her force. Mia tried to get eye contact to take control before she fell to the floor as Dennis crashed through the door, he grabbed Susan by the already broken neck, 'you bitch! Touch my sister again, I'll break your neck again!'. Mia crawled out to Royce's cubicle and clicked the button, Royce rushed out and pulled Dennis off Susan, Royce threw Dennis into the corridor.<br>Royce raised his baseball bat and smacked Susan in the face, sending her flying into the wall.  
>'Ans she's outta here!' Royce yelled, he left Susan in her cubicle and closed the door behind him. He winked at George and repeated his swing, Ryan coughed from behind, Royce turned to him, his eyes looked dead, 'Erm... Royce, behind you' he mumbled. Royce spun round to see Mia lying lifeless on the ground, her arms sprawled out beside her, her nose dripping of crimson liquid. Dennis was leaning over her, stroking her face gently. Royce fell down beside her and placed his hand on hers, 'Don't worry... she isn't dead. Passed out', Dennis wiped a tear from his cheek, 'she always was a drama queen'. Royce chuckled and stroked her hand, he felt the urge to kiss her, to hold her and tell her it will all be okay. Royce's eyes went wide as it all made sense... Royce loved Mia. Dennis picked her up in his arms and went to take her up the stairs into the main house. Royce chased after Dennis, he blocked their path, 'Can I come sit with her?... please' Royce's eyes looked down to Mia's limp body, she looked beautifulm even with a bloody nose. Dennis thought about it for a minute before giving a sharp nod to the young man. Royce followed them out of the basement and into the main hall, never taking his eyes off Mia.<p>

Dennis placed her on the green bedspread, Royce stared at her until he perched himself in her bedside armchair. Dennis looked at him for a while, deciding whether to trust him or not. Dennis eventually left the room ater watching Royce put down his baseball bat. Once Dennis had left, Royce sat next to Mia on the bed, he held her hand and thought about his feelings. He couldn't believe he was discovering his feelings, he hadn't done that in over 50 years.  
>'Mia, I gotta tell you something. I thought I would say it whule you were asleep, least I won't get rejected...' he chuckled as he wiped a stray curl from her face. 'I think... I love you. It's weird to say, but, yeah I do, I can't deny it. From the first moment I saw you... I thought, wow. I assumed I only had a crush, but when Susan attacked you... I felt fear, fear of losing you. I know I won't have a chance, but I don't care, as long as your safe and happy, I wouldn't care if he world set on fire, as long as you were in my arms'.<br>Royce bowed his head as his heart ached, Mia peeked through her eyelashes and knocked Royce with her leg. He looked around and saw Mia beaming at him, Royce clicked, she had heard everything. Royce rolled his eyes, 'you heard all that, didn't you?' Mia's smile grew, 'pretty much'. Mia moved herself over to Royce, so she looked straight into his eyes, 'I don't mind though, I feel exactly the same'. Royce raised his eyebrows, 'are you serious?', Mia giggled, 'Yes, Royce. I wouldn't lie to a guy with a baseball bat'. Royce looked round at his bat balanced on the armchair, he looked back at Mia, her face only inches away from his.'Should I kiss her?' he thought, 'would she be angry if I did?', Royce couldn't make a decision.  
>They stayed staring at eachother for a minute or two, Royce leant in slowly, giving Mia the signal she needed to lean in too. Their lips were just centi,etres apart, Mia's heart started to race as her dream James Dean, teenage badboy was about to kiss her.<br>Their lips lightly brushed together, Mia raised her hand to his hair as he pulled her into his arms.  
>'Mia! You awake?' Dennis called from outside the door, Mia's eyes shot open and she sighed, 'Yes, I'm awake, just talking to Royce'. Royce smiled and kissed her forehead lightly. Dennis flashed into the room and frowned at the position Royce and Mia were in, 'Royce. Outside. Now', Dennis's face was like stone. Royce looked genuinely scared, he got off the bed and left the room. Mia sighed and lay back down, surrounded by the beautiful words Royce had spoken.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: High Seas Before A Storm**

One Week Later:  
>The basement was Sin City still, every sentence had two or more swear words, glass was being scratched, beaten and thumped. Susan was sitting in her cubicle, still blocking the abuse out, 'you fucking bitch!', Ryan would yell. He would scratch at the walls, screaming at Susan with pure anger. 'After everything she had done for you! You bitch! No wonder your boyfriend murdered you!' George yelled at her, the ghosts noticed that George had developed a father-daughter bond to Mia. Everyone was still angry at Susan for what she did to Mia, Mia had visited the ghosts everyday, but always avoided contact with Susan, according to Susan, Mia had been 'put down a peg or too'. This obviously caused more abuse for Susan, Ryan would go crazy at her, screaming at her, overreacting to the situation. Royce had become more protective of Mia, whenever she came into the basement, he would keep a close eye on Susan. If she made any kind of nasty gesture, Royce would be right there telling Susan the ground rules.<p>

When Mia returned the day after the attack, everything was different. Dennis was standing next to her, supporting her, obeying her every command.  
>'Hey guys' she smiled, but winced at the pain in her broken nose. Her face was bruised around the cheeks, her nose swollen beneath the white plaster. Everyone in the basement smiled at her, everyone except Susan who frowned at her. 'Dennis... can you let them out, please?' she looked up at him, he frowned and inclined his head towards Susan. Mia smiled a little, and shook her head. 'teach her a lesson' Mia said. Dennis walked over and clicked all the buttons on the cubicles, the doors opened and a swarm of people came towards her, hugging her, checking her over. Royce pushed to the front and lifted her up and hugged her, she buried her face in his shoulder as he kissed her neck. 'I missed you' Royce whispered, Mia giggled, 'I missed you too'. Royce placed her on the floor as Jean came up and hugged her, she looked over her injuries and plaster. Billy jumped through the crowd and wrapped his arms around Mia's waist, she smiled and stroked his brown hair, 'don't leave again, please' Billy pleaded. Mia bent down to his level, and stroked his cheek like she would do to a younger brother, 'I'll try not too' she replied. George and Ryan were standing at the back of the crowd, George came forward and cupped her cheek in his huge hand, 'I would hug you... but, well yeah, I can't really'. Mia laughed and reached up to his face and cupped his, 'It's okay' and laughed. George smiled and made way for Ryan to come through, he shuffled along the corridor, looking at his feet. He raised his head and looked straight into Mia's eyes, his bright blue eyes were beautiful, like high seas before a storm. 'I'm glad your okay... if something had happened, it would've been the first time I've cried in 100 years...' he said, his voice was quiet almost like a whisper. Mia smiled at him, 'thanks, Ryan. It means a lot', she went to go hug him, but he backed away, staring at her open armed gesture.<br>'I would hug you... I really would, but I can't... the cage' he pointed to the metal cage on his head, Mia stared and twisted her face in thought.  
>'Can't we remove it?' she was looking at Ryan, but Dennis knew the question was aimed at him. Dennis was standing against one of the cubicles, he was keepig his distance since Royce had engulfed his little sister in kisses. Dennis shrugged, 'I suppose we could, if he can be trusted...' Dennis looked down, clearly not meaning it to be offensive. Mia glanced at Ryan, expecting a snarl, but instead he looked down the hall at nothing. 'He's right, Mia. I can't... not yet anyway' Ryan said it with such innocence that Mia wanted to ignore 'trust', but she understood that it was too soon. Mia turned to the only ghost left in the cubicle, 'if you want to leave, then go. I'm not going to force you to stay' Royce came up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. Susan stared at them, and laughed, 'I think I'll stay... can't wait for you two to split up, then Royce will be all mine!' she licked her lips at him. Royce coughed, 'No way... Keep dreaming hunnie. You ain't touching this superstar' his arrogance increased a tremendous amount. Mia stared at Susan, 'If you think that's going to get a reaction, it's not. It just shows me how pathetic you are', Susan stuck her finger up to Mia, Royce made a face that would scare Ryan. Susan quickly put her finger down and turned her back to them.<br>Mia turned her attention to the crowd of ghosts behind her, 'okay guys, you can go anywhere in the house now, but you have to come down here at night-time, deal?' Mia said, 'even Royce?', Ryan asked with a wink. Mia went red as Royce smiled brightly, 'yes, even Royce' Mia replied. Royce's smile dropped a little, Mia wrapped her arms around his waist as the ghosts dispered in different directions. Ryan was the last to leave, he stood looking into his empty cubicle, 'so many times I've wanted to leave, but now I have some freedom... I don't know what to do' he looked sad. Mia came up behind him and reached up to touch the cage surrounding his head, 'I have an idea, but you have to behave'. Royce and Ryan gave her the same confused look, she shrugged and lead them up the basement stairs.  
>Mia called all the ghosts again, 'sorry to bring you back guys... but I have an idea'.<p>

Out in the 'garden' the ghosts all stood round in a circle. The field outside the house was enclosed by huge trees running along the side of road, they had enough privacy. Mia slapped her hands together, 'right, who wants to play rugby?', Dennis burst out laughing as the ghosts stood there, jaws dropped to the floor. Mia ran to the steps of the house and grabbed a sports bag, she pulled out a rugby ball. 'It's like football, but more... brutal', Ryan's eyes flashed as he giggled like a child. Mia quickly explained the game and chucked George the ball, 'George, Ryan. Pick two players each'. Ryan beamed and grabbed Royce in less than a second, George chose Dennis. Ryan picked Billy, he didn't have a choice, since Billy was jumping on his back begging to be let in the game. Jean strolled over to George's team, she placed her hand on his shoulder, 'I'm not a violent person really, but... let's kick their ass!'. Ryan flashed George a smile, 'bring it, blacksmith!', George chuckled, 'your going down, chuckles!'. Ryan ran to the end of the field, Mia called him over for a minute, 'Ryan, I know your excited, that's why... I don't want you to get carried away. If someone tackles you, carry on, don't bite them or scratch them, no crazy shit like that'. Ryan nodded like a naughty child being caught, 'okay... taking away the fun, but fine!', he turned away and shuffled back to the end of the field. Mia ran up behind him and undid his cage, his cage was lifted off his head, and he shook his long black hair. 'Thankyou, Mia' he hugged her, a genuine hug. He ran back to Royce who high-fived him and winked at Mia, Mia ran back to the side lines and blew her whistle. George kicked the ball into Ryan's side of the field, he darted forward and grabbed the ball, he ducked from Dennis's reach, he darted to the end of the field where Jean was standing. Her face looked full of fear, Ryan smiled as he realised how easy the game was, Jean came forward towards Ryan, Ryan felt cocky, so he ran straight at her, planning to move at the last second. Jean got in Ryan's way and stuck out her arm, Ryan's head smacked right into it, sending him straight onto his back, Jean grabbed the ball and ran off. Ryan lay on the ground in shock, 'How the hell?' he jumped up and held up his arms, 'REF!'. Mia laughed but shook her head, 'carry on!', 'that has got to be cheating!' he screamed. Ryan ran down the field as George came face to face with Royce, Royce was fast and flexible, Mia couldn't help but think of ways to use his skills. Royce tackled George, Mia shut her eyes, George was tall, Royce wasn't. Mia opened her eyes to hear cheering as Royce was at the other end of the field, celebrating. Mia looked over to see Ryan helping George up off the floor, 'It's always the quiet ones' Ryan said, wiping mud off his forehead. George slapped his back and ran to get the ball, Billy was in the middle of the field jumping around to get the ball, 'Mia! this isn't fair!' he called, Mia smiled, 'tackle Dennis!' she shouted back. Billy's face lit up, he ran towards Dennis and jumped on him, pushing him to the ground. 'What you doing, Billy?' Dennis yelled, Billy lay ontop of him, 'I tackled you' he beamed at Dennis. Dennis looked flabbergasted, 'why?', Billy stared at him, 'so I can score!'. Dennis stuttered for a minute, 'I haven't got the ball, Billy!', Billy's jaw dropped, he looked round at Mia who was laughing on the ground. Billy climbed off Dennis, and walked down the field, Royce raced past Dennis with George followed behind, Ryan jogged behind them, gasping for breath, 'you guys go on without me!'. He collapsed next to Dennis, 'I need to work out more', Dennis chuckled, his eyes went wide as he saw George running their way with the ball, Jean, Royce and Billy hot on his heels. Dennis rolled out the way, leaving Ryan defenceless in the middle of the field, George jumped over him, followed by a racing Royce, a fairy like Jean, and Billy... He didn't notice Ryan lying there, he ran and tripped, injuring Ryan in the process, 'HOLY FUCK!'. Ryan rolled around in pain, 'REF!', Mia blew her whistle while laughing on the side-lines. Ryan lay on the ground stretched out like a starfish, Royce walked over and leant over Ryan, 'you okay, captain?'. Ryan let out a groan, Billy leant over him, 'sorry, Ryan'. Ryan repeated another groan, Mia grabbed his hand and pulled him off the ground, 'this is all because you told me not to bite'. He wiped down his already filthy straightjacket. Mia hid her laughter with a coughing fit, 'who won then?' Billy asked her, Mia wiped a tear from her eye, 'oh, Ryan's team'. Royce screamed with pride, and picked up Mia in a huge embrace, she hugged his neck, she leant back to look at his eyes, the blue jewels almost blinded her. Royce leant forward and kissed her straight on the mouth, their lips moved together as everyone else disspeared from mind. Mia could taste Royce's mouth, the sweet taste made her tingle all over. Once back to reality, everyone was staring at them, Mia blushed and wiped her mouth, Ryan was back on the ground, with his head turned in their direction, 'Royce... did your tongue escape eventually?' Ryan said. Everyone laughed as Royce held Mia from the waist, Dennis was shaking his head, he turned and kicked the rugby ball in the air. It went up and up, then it started to come down, and down, Mia knew where it was going to land, Ryan wasn't expecting it. It flew down and straight onto Ryan's head, 'AHHHH! I HATE THIS GAME!', he lay there holding his head. Mia sat down next to him and tapped his head, 'at least you won'. Ryan stared at her, 'it came with a price', Mia chuckled, 'only a little one'. Ryan's jaw dropped, he rubbed his head and scoffed. Royce picked Ryan up, then Mia, but he didn't let her go intill they were nicely settled on her bed.


	7. Chapter 7

the spirit room

chapter 7: Everyone Has Seen You Naked

Mia had claimed the master bedroom for herself when the house had been built. It was a huge room, with thin, cream drapes on all the walls, the bed was king size, with a shiny green bedspread. The on-suite bathroom matched the colour scheme of the bedroom, with a cream bath tub, sink and toilet. The king size bed was suitable for times like this, Mia was snuggled up with Royce on the bed, music blaring from her ipod. Her face was buried in his chest, and his baseball jacket wrapped around her shoulders.  
>'I don't like it on this side of the bed, Royce' she whined, and climbed on top of him to the other side of the bed. Royce frowned and pushed her over onto her back, as he kissed her on the forehead. 'You...know why... I don't... like you... on this... side!' he said inbetween kisses. Mia giggled and lightly stroked his torn side, he winced but not in pain. Mia looked into his eyes, 'Royce, I don't care. It doesn't make a difference to me. Your still amazingly gorgeous', she kissed him on his right cheek. Royce stared at her and leant forward and met her lips, it was a magical kiss. Mia pulled Royce closer to her and wrapped her legs around him, Royce relaxed on top of Mia as his hands held her close. The situation got quick steamy as several items of clothing were removed, Mia lay underneath Royce without a t-shirt and ... socks. Royce had also removed his socks, but nothing more. 'Royce, you know I don't care!' Mia said tugging at his t-shirt, Royce shook his head and kissed her neck to distract her. Mia leaned back for a minute then got her mind back together, 'Royce! I'll shove that bat somewhere in a minute', Royce wiggled his eyebrows, 'kinky'. Mia sighed and put her head back on the pillow, Royce kissed her softly on the lips, 'you can understand why though?', Mia nodded her head whilst pressed against his lips. Royce fell to the side of her and pulled her ontop of him, so her face was directly over his. They shared a passionate kiss before Mia cuddled up to his chest and closed her eyes. Falling asleep on the chest of her Torn Prince.<p>

Mia woke up at about 11 o'clock, on a rainy Sunday morning, she assumed that the ghosts had been out of the cubicles for a few hours. Mia reached onto her bedside table and placed the specs on her face and saw Royce slumped on her lime green armchair. He had his eyes closed with Mia's earphones stuck in his ears, Royce's black fluffy hair was bouncing with his head to the music. His black boots were tapping on the floor lightly, Mia got out of bed and walked over to him. She slided onto his lap and curled herself up on his lap. Royce's eyes shot open and smiled at her, he pulled out an earphone, 'awake now, sweetie?', he kissed her forehead. 'Nope, still asleep' Mia smirked, Royce wrapped his arms around her, 'your sarcasm is getting terrible', he said rolling his eyes. Mia giggled into his jacket, 'yeah, well, you still love me', Royce stroked her cheek, 'that I do'. Mia relaxed in his arms, enjoying them being around her, 'I'm not too heavy, am I?' she asked, shifting her weight. Royce pulled her back down onto his lap, 'good thing about being a ghost... you have incredible strength'. Mia looked impressed, she pushed down on his lap, increasing her weight, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 'What are you doing?' he asked, Mia gave a small chuckle, 'just testing'.  
>Royce scooped her up in his arms and took her downstairs, 'you do realise I'm wearing a t-shirt and underwear?' she asked, he scanned her body, and gave a mixture of a smile and a shrug. 'Oh, well, everyone has seen you naked', he replied, Mia nodded then caught on, 'WHAT?' she nearly jumped out of his arms but he kept tight a hold of her. Royce looked at her blankly, 'how the hell?' she asked, Royce continued to look at her, 'Mia... glass house... der!'. Mia gawped at him, 'oh crap... ew!', Royce laughed and kissed her. They walked into the living room and Royce dropped her onto the huge sofa with a cheeky smile, 'what do you want for breakfast, sweetie?'. Mia pulled her thinking face, 'erm... bacon sandwich?', she flashed him a truly irresistable smile. Royce leant down and kissed her, full on, his tongue slipped into her mouth, sending tingles all over her body. 'Then again, I could have you for breakfast' she grabbed his neck and pulled him onto the sofa, his hips pressed against hers as he kissed her neck passionatly. Mia looked to the side to see Ryan shuffling in the room, he was holding one of Mia's ipod's and flicking through the songs, 'who the hell is 'Kids In Glass Houses'? Is that meant to be a joke?' he screamed at the ipod. Royce raised his head to look at Ryan, he stared back at him and gave a questioning shrug, 'what?'. Royce shook his head and looked at Mia, 'you break that ipod, Ryan, your paying for it in chores'. Ryan's jaw dropped, 'what makes you think I'll break it? I love this ipod!' he shook it infront of Mia, a sense of sarcasm escaped from his voice. Mia rolled her eyes, Ryan shuffled out the room, 'My humps, my humps, my humps. my humps... check it out!'. Mia's jaw dropped, 'that man scares me...'', Royce held the same expression as Mia, 'he scares me too...', he kissed her on the lips, 'aslong as his humps don't come near you'. Mia blushed, 'shut up and kiss me' Royce didn't need to be told twice, they continued to what they were doing before Ryan strolled in.<p>

A few hours later they were still lying on the sofa, covered in a blanket. Dennis walked into the room, and sat down on the chair beside them, Mia smiled at him, 'hey bro'. Dennis smiled at him and turned his attention to Royce who was kissing Mia's forehead.  
>'Mia, can you go to the store for me, please?' Mia snapped her head up.<br>'It's Sunday...' Dennis rolled his eyes, 'I need some AA batteries, please?' Mia huffed and stood up. Once Mia was out the house, Dennis locked eyes with Royce. 'George!' Dennis called while keeping his gaze on Royce. George stomped into the room, Dennis stood up and stood next to George, closing in on Royce. Royce felt scared for a minute or two, as the two of them stared at him.  
>'Hey, guys... what's up?' Royce asked.<br>Dennis pushed his hair back, 'well Royce, that depends...'  
>'Like what exactly your interest is in Mia' George placed his hand on Royce's shoulder and pulled him up to his feet.<br>'Meaning?', Dennis chuckled at Royce's innocence. 'Listen kid, I love my sister, more than you do. I don't want her to get hurt, and I get that your both 17 and your technically adults... but that doesn't mean I like it'.  
>George nodded with agreement, 'If Mia was my real daughter, I would so kick your ass, but lucky for you, she isn't. However, you better look after her, and not just use her, okay?'. Royce blinked at George and Dennis, Royce nodded, clearly getting the message. Ryan had wandered in by now, he stood behind Dennis and George, looking at Royce's scared face. Dennis turned round to Ryan, 'Anything to add, Ryan?'.<br>Ryan opened his mouth and closed it like a fish, 'well... er... you know... I dunno' he shrugged as Dennis looked at him in disbelief. Ryan backed up to the door and turned to make a run for it, he smacked into the glass wall and landed on his back with a thump. The three of them stared at Ryan, 'this is what happens when you ask me stuff! I don't like confrontation!', he banged his fists on the floor.  
>'You gonna' get up?' Dennis asked.<br>'NO! I'm happy right here!' he pulled out Mia's ipod from the fold of his clothing and plugged it in. Dennis turned back to Royce. 'Do you understand what I'm saying?', Royce gave a sharp nod.  
>'Dennis... you gotta' know, I love Mia. She is my world, I would never hurt her, never', he stared at Dennis, trying to show him that his words were true.<br>'Pussy' Ryan snorted from the floor, laughter broke out, as Dennis nodded and accepted his word.

Mia returned from the shop to find Ryan still sprawled on the floor, Royce sitting uncomfortably on the sofa, and Dennis and George playing the xbox.  
>She walked into the living room and threw the batteries to Dennis, 'there you go! Duracell Dennis!'.<br>Dennis laughed and blew her a kiss, 'thanks Mia'. Mia grabbed Royce's hand and pulled him to his feet, 'cya later guys!'.  
>'Bye!' Dennis and George called, Billy came running into the room carrying the famous rugby ball, followed by Jean. 'Bye Mia! Bye Royce!' Billy called. Mia waved at them as her and Royce went upstairs, Mia looked back to see Ryan waving from the ground. Jean settled herself on the sofa as Billy attempted to sabotage Dennis and George's game.<br>Mia and Royce slowly walked towards the stairs, hand in hand, giggling to each other over Ryan. Mia flung herself onto the bed and sighed, Royce collapsed down next to her.  
>'So, much happen while I was gone?', she propped herself onto her elbows and smiled at Royce. He smirked at her with his adorable dimples, Mia playfully hit him, and clambed ontop of him. 'Your brother gave me that little warning you feared...', Royce's smirk fell from his face. 'Oh no... he didn't hurt you did he?', Royce shook his head.<br>'It got me thinking though...' Royce turned his head to look at Mia. 'What if there is something more out there for you? What if I'm taking it away from you?... Taking away your life?'. Royce held her face in his palm, as Mia concentrated on the unmoving bed sheets.  
>'What?' Mia glared at him, 'how can you say that? You are my life Royce Clayton... whether you like it or not'. Mia held him by his t-shrit collar, Royce twisted his face slightly at the tears rolling down Mia's cheeks. 'You will never know how much you mean to me, but... I can't give you what you deserve'. 'So, what next?' Mia's voice was soft and quiet, Royce chuckled and kissed her, 'I wasn't breaking up with you sweetheart, I was just telling you how I feel'. Mia stared at him as he leant in for another kiss. 'Wait! You say something like that and expect me... to NOT be affected by it?'. Mia jumped up from the bed and waited for Royce to answer, he stuttered as Mia's gaze tore right into him.<br>'I didn't mean for it to affect you', Mia scoffed and opened her mouth to reply before the knock on the door interrupted her.  
>'Mia, Royce needs to go downstairs now'<br>'Just a minute, Dennis!' Royce called back, Mia continued to glare at Royce.  
>'No, Royce. Now' Dennis sounded agitated. Royce walked up to Mia and leant down to kiss her, she turned her head as Royce left without another word.<br>Mia flung herself onto the bed and let out a sea of tears. 'Stupid, dead, teenage idiot!' she punched the duvet with her fist. Mia stood up and changed into her pyjama shorts and vest, she walked into the bathroom, tied her hair up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.  
>A sudden flash of anger came over Mia, she stormed out of her bedroom and downstairs to the basement. The ghosts were all sitting down, settled for the night, Ryan went to greet Mia but stopped once he caught sight of her anger.<br>'Shit... if she asks about the ipod, I didn't do anything...' Ryan whispered to George. Mia stopped outside of Royce's cubicle and smacked the button to open the door.  
>'HAHA! First fight... my bet is on Mia!' Ryan snorted. Mia ignored the comment and stared at Royce.<br>'Mia, 'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't th-'  
>'Just shush, Royce! I've come to tell you that I'm moving out! I'm moving to Canada! Away from stupid males, such as yourself!'<br>Royce stared at her with his mouth hanging open.  
>'I didn't know Canada was an all female populated country..' Ryan sniggered. Mia threw him the middle finger, which cut Ryan's laugh like a blade.<br>'Mia, I didn't mean anything bad, I was just saying how I felt...'  
>'No! You planted the seed of doubt!'Mia screamed back.<br>The room fell silent as all eyes were on the young couple. Ryan nudged George, 'Bet that's not the only thing he planted'. 'RYAN!' the room attacked Ryan as he tried to control his giggles.  
>Mia started to sob, Royce carefullly pulled her close, 'I'm sorry, sweetie. I really am'. Mia continued to cry and buried her head in his shoulder, 'I just wish I could be human for you', Royce said as he kissed her head.<br>'What if you could...?', Mia asked, looking up into his sparkling blue eyes.  
>'Baby... there's no way', his soothing voice made Mia cringe with guilt.<br>'There is a way...'. All eyes turned to Mia, as she hung her head in shame.  
>'Are you serious?' Ryan asked, his voice was hard but he didn't seem angry.<br>'I only found out today...' Mia slid out of Royce's arms and stood in the corridor. 


	8. Chapter 8

the spirit room

chapter 8: Call It Sacrificing Myself

'How the hell can we ever be human again?' Ryan's tone of voice was desperate and cut Mia deep.  
>'I did some research...' Mia sighed.<br>Susan jumped up from her corner, 'So is it possible?' she snapped, several eyes bore into her. 'Shut up and sit down, bitch!' Ryan spat. Susan growled and slumped back down to the floor. Mia put her head in her hands and sighed deeply, 'guys, it's complicated'. George stood up, 'I'm sure we'll follow it fine...'.  
>'Okay then. The spells in the Arcanum can be reversed, bringing you back from the relm the house has secured you ...'. The basement was silent as everyone's eyes were locked on Mia. Ryan tapped the glass, 'however?'.<br>'However, if the spell was to go wrong in any way... you would be removed from the relm.. and the sould would be destroyed...'  
>Mia gazed at the floor, afraid to meet their eyes. Royce walked out of his cubicle and wrapped his arms around Mia. 'It's okay, sweetie', his soft, heavenly voice made Mia release more tears.<br>'What are the chances of it going wrong?' George asked. Mia shrugged, 'If I study it enough and get it right, then it could go perfectly... big 'if' though'. Ryan frowned in thought, 'Can you do it seperatly?' Mia gave him a questioning look.  
>'Could you change us back one at a time?' he asked again. 'Oh! well, yeah. Can't see why not', Mia replied.<br>'Wonderful. Then I'll go first and if it goes wrong... at least you'll know where you went wrong for the next time'.Ryan brushed his hair back and let it flick against his back. 'What?' several voices echoed the same question.  
>'Call it what you want, I'm calling t 'sacrificing' myself. So be nice to me' Ryan winked at Mia. Mia smiled at him, 'Ryan... that's so brave. Are you sure though? It's a big risk'. Ryan shrugged,'Could be the insanity talking, who knows?'.<br>Mia ran to his cubicle, opened the door and jumped into his arms. Ryan didn't hesitate to hug her back, his arms wrapped around her. Royce turned his head away from them, not wanting to see Mia in another man's arms. Ryan put Mia back onto the floor and stared into her brown eyes. Royce's heart ached as his watched Ryan fall in love with Mia. Mia walked back to Royce and buried herself in his torso.  
>'So what's the plan?' Susan's voice jumped out from the shadows.<br>'I'll study the spell a couple more times... I'm quite confident already', Mia glanced at Ryan, then quickly to Susan.  
>'You won't fail, Mia. You've never failed us before' Ryan said in a soft voice. Mia turned back to Royce, as Ryan admired from a distance. His eyes looked as dazzled as Royce's did, when he first realised he loved her. Ryan longed for Mia's love, longed for Mia.<br>Royce apologised to Mia again, before giving her a goodnight kiss, their kiss caused Jean to order Billy to avert his eyes. 'Night everyone!' Mia called. Calls of goodnight rang behind her, 'night sweetheart!'Royce called, he blew her a kiss before she left the basement.  
>Jean pressed her hands to her heart, 'Oh Royce! Young love!'. Royce blushed, 'It's what you do for the person you love'. He glanced at Ryan who was pretended to clean his nails. 'Just remember what we talked about, Royce' George's booming voice swam through the glass walls. Royce winked at him, 'I know, George. I love her, I'll treat her right'. Ryan scoffed from his cubicle, Royce glared at him, 'something to say, Ryan?'. Ryan looked up like an innocent child, 'some things are better left unsaid'.<p>

Mia smoothed herself against the covers, stretching her limbs across the bed. 'Ow', a small voice from beside her croaked out. 'Oh my gosh! Royce! You could have told me you were there!' Mia grabbed the specs and placed them on her face. Royce was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, Mia knew something was wrong, she put her head on his chest and looked up at him 'Morning, handsome',she whispered, kissing his chin.  
>'Good-morning, beautiful', Royce stroked her hair.'What's the matter?', Royce sighed and shook his head. 'It's Ryan...', Mia frowned at him, 'what's happened?'.<br>'I think he has... feelings for you'. Mia burst out laughing, 'Royce! Don't be ridiculous!'. She giggled and climbed out of bed, she got changed slowly, teasing Royce and he sneaked quick glances.  
>'Mia, what's going to happen when I'm human?', Mia looked up at him. 'Meaning?', Royce pulled her onto his lap. 'Meaning... are we going to carry on dating?', Mia frowned. 'Well..why wouldn't we?', Royce waved his hands like a maniac, 'No, no, no! I don't want us to break up, never! I-... I'm steering away from the real question'. Mia smiled, 'Just ask me, Royce'. Royce gulped, 'Okay...'<br>He got off the bed and knelt on one knee, 'Mia Louise Rafkin... will you do me the greatest honour of becoming my beautiful wife? Once I'm human?'. Mia froze on the edge of the bed, her jaw almost touching the floor. 'What?', she swallowed hard, trying to steady her breathing. Royce smiled, 'to keep it short... I love you more than anything in the entire world. I want to spend the rest of my dead and alive days with you, I never want to be apart from you, if that were to happen I may as well be dead again'. Mia blushed and grabbed him by the collar, 'Royce clayton... you crazy son of a bitch! Yes, I'll marry you!'. Royce jumped up and hugged Mia with all his strength, he kissed her with all the passion in his body. Royce's lips crushed against hers, that started a sweet pulse down below. Royce gently pushed her backwards onto the bed, covering her body with his. He kisses moved down to her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist, creating the pressure they both craved. Royce ran his hand over the skin on her back, pulling her t-shirt up. Mia combed his black silky hair through her small fingers. They both reveled in the friction that was building between them, Royce pulled off his t-shirt revealing the scars he wished to keep from Mia. She traced her fingers lightly over the wound, before spreading her fingers over his toned stomach. Royce peeled off Mia's t-shirt and slowly kissed her stomach, releasing flutters of butterflies in Mia's stomach. Royce yearned to hear Mia moan, for her to relish in pleasure he gave her. His fingers gingerly unbuttoned her jeans, and pulled them down her legs and onto the bedroom floor. His lips traced Mia's skin, while she giggled with pleasure, Royce gently pulled down her black lacy underwear, before sliding them along her legs and off her feet. Mia pushed her head back against the pillow, resisting the urge to blush from being shy. Royce chuckled from below, letting his warm breath bounce against her skin. His kiss started soft, sweetly kissing her thighs and stomach. The pleasure hit Mia like a wave, she couldn't help but move her hips to the rhythm of Royce's tongue. His tongue was warm and soft, tracing the shape of her. His tongue swept in and out, playfully touching the places that made her shiver. She let out a sesual moan as she twisted her head to the side, she saw herself in the mirror, her face flushed from the thrill. It looked like a disturbing dream, Mia alone on the bed, her legs open with no one else around. She jumped up and closed her legs, 'stop, Royce'. Royce raised his head, 'did I do something wrong?', Mia held her head in her hands. 'Sorry, Royce. I just don't think it's time yet...', Royce sat up and looked at Mia with warm eyes. 'Mia, sweetie, don't be upset. If your not ready, then your not ready, it's fine', Royce kissed Mia's hand. Mia looked at him and back at the mirror, she was still alone. 'Royce, it's not because I'm not ready... just... I doesn't feel right while your a ghost'. Royce's eyes flashed, his face dropped slightly, 'it's understandable'. Royce lay down next to Mia and pulled her onto his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

Mia spent the rest of the day going over the spell, she sat down next to Ryan on the sofa. 'You nervous?', Ryan pulled his gaze from watching TV, to look at Mia. 'Not really. If I die... I die', he shrugged and winked at her, Mia chuckled and carried on reading the Arcanum. Ryan turned off the TV and stared at Mia, she turned her head slightly and raised her eyebrows, 'problem?'. Ryan flashed his teeth at her, 'When I'm human... can I change?', Mia frowned. 'Urm... excuse me?', Ryan shook his head, 'Clothes wise... hair wise... me wise!'. Mia cackled and shut the book, Ryan raised an eyebrow. 'What's so funny?', Mia bent over the front of the sofa and continued to laugh, 'I never had you down as someone who cared about looks!'. Ryan's jaw dropped, 'HEY! I just to be a sexy beast before I went all 'insane'!'. Mia shrieked with laughter, 'Oh that's harsh, Mia!', Ryan folded his arms and glared at her. Mia finally stopped the laughter and looked at Ryan, 'Ryan, course you can change all that, you'll be human, free will and all'. Mia put down the Arcanum and left the livung room to go into the kitchen.  
>'aha! Sexy beast... he is begging! she sniggered to herself. 'Who?', George's deep voice made Mia jump, she turned round and saw George standing there with a warm smile. His wounds or anyone else's didn't matter to Mia, she could always see the good in their eyes. 'Who else believes they are a sexy beast?', George pulled a small thinking face. 'Long, black hair... 5ft 10... arrogant?... Ryan?', Mia grinned, 'DING DING DING! We have a winner!'. They both laughed as Ryan turned his head from the living room to try and find the source of their amusement.<br>'Erm, actually Mia, I wanted to talk to you', Mia settled herself on a stool with a packet of M&M's, she nodded for him to contiue.  
>'As you know, most of the ghosts, suffer from... wounds... from out previous life' Mia stared at him, slowly putting sweets in her mouth.<br>'So, we were wondering... what happens to our wounds if the spell turns us back?', he gazed at the floor, clearly afraid of the answer. Mia grinned at him, 'You go back to your original state before your death. No wounds, no scars... Just you', George looked up at her, beaming with delight.  
>'Really?' he asked. Mia nodded, and shoved another sweet in her mouth, George made fists at his side and pounded the air with them. 'Thanks, Mia', he vanished from sight, on his way to spread the news to the other ghosts. Mia sat in the kitchen, watching the rain bounce off the grass in the garden, she sighed and smiled to herself. <p>


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Highway To Hell

'You ready, Ryan?'  
>Ryan shrugged, 'Yeah, why not? I'M ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL!'. Mia burst out laughing, 'You've been using my ipod too much'. George came up behind Ryan and patted him on the back, 'you'll be fine, Chuckles'. Ryan grinned, but behind his eyes, you could tell he was worried. 'Thanks, Blacksmith', Ryan shook George's enormous hand and walked over to the other ghosts. 'If I die... my last will and testement is in my underwear, feel free to roam about in there when im gone, think of it as a treasure hunt', Ryan winked at Mia. He hugged Jean and Billy, and shared a cold handshake with Royce. Ryan turned to see Mia waiting for her goodbye, he hugged her with everything he had, he put her down and softly kissed her forehead. Royce saw the look in Ryan's eyes, he made a tight fist that turned his knuckles white. He drew in a sharp breath and moved to the back of the corridor.<br>'Ryan?' Mia gestured for him to take his place on the metal ring of the infernum. He walked over and stood above his symbol, he looked down at it and sighed. Mia gave him a warm smile, that made him beam like a small child. 'Good luck, Ryan!' the ghosts echoed. Ryan turned his head and gave them a thumbs up, Mia imitated his thumbs up. Mia shouted to Dennis, who turned the machine on from the control room in the basement. The metal rings rose from the floor, encircling Mia and Ryan. They twisted and turned with increasing speed until they seemed like a shiny blur in the air. The machine was in full motion, Mia opened the book and stared at Ryan. His eyes were wide at the speed of the machine's rings.  
>'No one push me into these motherfuckers!' Ryan yelled, several ghosts laughed from behind, but Mia gave him the look to shut up. Mia swallowed hard and started to read out the spell. Ryan followed the steel rings with his eyes, until Mia had come to the end of the spell, the final part of the spell was in English. Mia paused and stared at Ryan with wide eyes.<br>'The Jackal, 11th member of the black zodiac. Restore thy soul to the light of Earth, beyond the darkness of hell'. The room fell silent as Ryan started to dissapear, the machine slowed down, till it came to a stand still, by that time... Ryan had gone.  
>Mia froze on the spot, the book slid onto the floor with a loud smack! Royce ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Mia pushed him off and raced over to Ryan's symbol, she thumped the floor and started to cry.<br>'I knew I shouldn't have let him do it! I knew it!' Mia's tears were the only sound that could be heard. Dennis had appeared from the basement, he looked around the room for Ryan, he face fell when he wasn't there.  
>'Mia... what happened?' Dennis knelt down to the crying lump that was his sister. She looked up at him with tears racing down her face, 'I did it wrong! I destroyed him... he is gone. Forever'. Jean bowed her head as tears dripped from her non-existent eyes, Billy hugged Jean's waist, burying his face in her robe. George was silent, his face blank. Royce remainded on the floor, more distressed over Mia's reaction to his hug. Mia continued to sob until the floor was wet with tears.<br>'Why is everyone crying?' a familiar voice came from the rooms entrance. Mia snapped her head up, to see Ryan slouched against the doorframe, waving like an immature boy.  
>'YOUR ALIVE?' Mia screeched, she ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Ryan hugged her back, he slowly removed her glasses, she wasn't alone. Ryan was standing there too, as a human. She focused on his face, the scars were gone, his skin was clear and smooth. Mia raised her hand to touch his cheek, 'It worked... it really worked!'. She shoved the specs back onto her face, her and Ryan were surrounded by the ghosts, all except Royce. He remainded on the floor, his eyes fixed on Ryan and Mia, torment was etched on his face. Mia turned around and smiled at Royce, he forced a smile, but even Mia knew it was fake.<br>'What took you so long to come up?' George asked Ryan, he had hugged him several times, which was odd for them both. Ryan shook his head, 'I appeared in my cubicle, I tried to transport up here... but of course, humans can't do that. I had to walk it, I swear... I haven't actually walked that far in over 100 years. It took some time!'. Everyone laughed and hugged Ryan, Mia was examining him, making sure everything turned out okay.  
>'Have you checked yourself over?' Mia asked, checking his pulse. 'Yes, I stood in my cubicle naked and checked out my body before coming up to tell you guys I'm alive'. Mia glared at him, 'I was only asking!', Ryan laughed and kissed her hand. Royce growled from a distance, he stood up and walked out the room. Eyes followed him as he left the house and into the garden, Mia went to follow him, but was stopped by Dennis. 'Give me a minute with him', Dennis said, Mia nodded.<br>Dennis sat next to Royce on the grass, 'Is it Ryan?'. Royce pulled a chunk of grass out of the ground, 'who else?'. Dennis sighed and placed a hand on Royce's shoulder, 'Don't worry about Ryan. Mia isn't interested in him, and once Ryan realises that, he won't bother'. Royce scoffed and threw the piece of shredded grass into the distance.  
>'It still bothers me. I hate knowing how he feels about her, it's constantly on my mind. How he wants to kiss her, how he wants to touch h-'.<br>'Royce! That's my baby sister... just saying!', Dennis waved his hands in the air, to get him to stop.  
>'Oh, sorry. It just kills me. He's human, like her, she has a connection with him now', Royce put his head in his hands. Dennis sighed and looked behind at the crowd surrounding Ryan.<br>'You'll be human soon, we all will. Ryan is only doing all that stuff to get a reacion out of you'.  
>'Well, it worked', Royce mumbled from his hands.<br>'Ryan will always be someone that looks for trouble. Mia knows that, but she expects you to rise above it', Royce looked at Dennis and frowned.  
>'How can I when he is always with her?' Royce's voice broke as a tear fell down his cheek.<br>'Mia needs you to be supportive, Royce. She doesn't need you getting jealous and storming off, she needs you to help her, to be her boyfriend. Getting angry and storming off will only encourage Ryan to do it more'.  
>Royce nodded and wiped the tear from his cheek, 'your right'. Dennis pulled Royce up and patted his shoulder, they walked back into the house and to the ghosts still talking to Ryan. Mia was waiting by the door, away from the buzz of Ryan.<br>'Is everything okay?' she asked, Royce pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Mia pulled away and looked into his bright eyes, he smiled at her and stroked her cheek. 'I'm fine, Mia. Everything's fine'. Mia twisted her face slightly, but then nodded and kissed him on the lips.

Ryan flopped down onto the bed and let out a long sigh. 'Wow! I like being human', Ryan rolled around on the bed, picking up the soft sheets in his hands. Mia strolled into the room and placed a pile of washing on the armchair. 'Right, you go in the shower, call me when your out and we'll take it from there', Mia smiled at him. Ryan watched her leave before grabbing a towel off the rail, he stared at the clothes Mia had given him. He picked up the skinny jeans and stretched them, 'like my ass can get in these!'. He flung them over his shoulder and looked at the t-shirt and twisted his face.  
>He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, he moaned lightly at the feel of the warm water. His gaze went down to the bulky straightjacket that covered his body from head to toe. 'This is going to be fun...' he mumbled to himself, he looked around the bathroom and found some scissors.<br>The scissors cut through the material like soft butter, Ryan gazed down at himself, 'still a sexy beast' he giggled.  
>He was in the shower for over 40 minutes, Mia knocked softly on the bathroom door, 'you haven't drown have you?'. Ryan opened the door with a towel wrapped around his waist. Mia couldn't help but avert her eyes from his toned torso, he chuckled under his breath.<br>'So what you gonna' do?' he asked, he sat down on the stool Mia had put out. Mia tapped her chin, she grabbed a piece of his long black hair and twirled it round her fingers. She opened the black case that she placed on the bed, she picked up some scissors and began to cut.  
>'Mia... what are you doing?', Ryan's voice was nervous, his face was screwed up as he felt every snip of the scissors. He shifted his eyes to the floor and saw long strands of black hair surrounding his feet.<br>Mia came round the front and fiddled with his hair some more, he gazed at her as she concentrated. She straightened herself and looked at his hair.  
>'Hairgel!', she walked behind him and grabbed a tub of gel. She applied a dollop to his hair and tampered with his hair some more. Ryan grew impatient after 35 minutes of Mia messing with his hair. 'Mia! Can I look yet?', she smacked the back of his head. 'Just wait!', Ryan screwed up his face and slouched down on the stool. Mia nudged his back for him to sit up, he snapped back up and glared at the wall.<br>'Okay, done!', Mia wiped excess hair off his shoulders and blew on the back of his neck. Ryan shivered when Mia's breath brushed aganst his skin. Ryan shook his head like a dog and stood up, he kept a hold of the towel around his waist while he removed the stray hairs on his chest.  
>Mia pushed the clothes into his arms and pointed to the bathroom, 'put them on and meet me downstairs'. She turned to leave the room, Ryan stared at the clothes in his arms and grunted. Mia popped her head round the door, 'if you need any help.. just shout'. Ryan scowled at her, 'I think I can manage'.<br>He walked into the bathroom and took off the towel. He pulled on the stripey boxer shorts and squeezed his legs into the skinny jeans. 'Fuckin' hell! MIA!'. Footsteps could be heard running down the corridor, Mia jogged into the room and giggled at him. Ryan was doubled over trying to pull the jeans up, Mia ran over and stopped him. 'Ryan, pull from the bottom', he looked up at her. 'Is the fashion these days to stop the blood circulation in your legs!', Mia nodded and grinned.  
>Ryan finally got into the jeans and pulled on the t-shirt, Mia stood back and admired her work. 'You look amazing', she held a hand to her mouth and smiled. She handed him some brown leather boots to match the outfit. Mia took his hand and led him downstairs, at the bottom of the stairs she handed him some specs and joined the invisible crowd of people. Ryan gently placed the specs on his nose and found eyes staring at him in utter disbelief.<br>'Ryan?' George asked. Ryan looked at him, 'yeah?', Jean gasped and started to cry. George wrapped his arm around her and nodded at Ryan. Billy walked up to Ryan and gazed up at him, 'you look like a model...'. Ryan raised his eyebrows and stroked Billy's hair, 'I don't look that good... Do i?'. Mia scoffed, 'look for yourself', she nodded to the mirror behind him. Ryan slowly turned round and came face to face with a face he no longer recognised. His hair was short and quiffed, his jet black hair went perfectly with his bright blue eyes. Ryan raised a hand to his pale skin, and ran his hand over the tiny stubble that was starting to grow. He looked down at his body, his slim frame went perfectly with the skinny jeans and fitted t-shirt. A wide smile spread across his face, showing his teeth, no longer brown and battered.  
>Mia came up behind him and smiled over his shoulder, 'you like?'. Ryan turned round and picked her up, he buried his head in her shoulder, 'I love it'. <p>


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Who's Next?**

'What happened?', Susan's screeching voice was the first thing that could be heard as the ghosts walked back into the basement.  
>'I'm human!', Ryan jumped down the basement stairs and stood infront of Susan, he bowed to her in a comical way. Susan stared at him, her jaw dropped as drool came out of her mouth.<br>'Your human... and SEXY!' Susan winked at him and licked her lips in a sexy way. Ryan pulled a face of disgust and backed away from the glass.  
>'Keep dreaming, sweetie!', he cackled in his usual way and walked down the hall away from the drooling Susan.<br>Mia walked into the basement followed by Royce, his arm wrapped gently round her waist. Susan snapped her hand round to Mia and Royce, she eyed up Royce like it was a routine. 'I bet you'll be very dishy when your human', Susan winked at Royce. Ryan started to cackle from the hall, 'someone's horny today!', Susan eyed him. 'I'm thinking more desperate...' Mia spat, Susan growled at her.  
>'Either way sweetie... Your boyfriend will be mine soon', her eyes darted back to Royce, who looked at her like she was a bug. Mia scoffed, and walked away from Susan.<br>'Instead of waiting... I was wondering... who wanted to go next?', Mia looked around the basement as everyone's hands went in the air. Mia exchanged looks with Dennis who was standing by the doorway, he shrugged and smiled at her. Mia beamed at everyone, 'How are we going to choose who goes next...?'. Jean shuffled forward and took Mia's hand, 'I have a way of sorting it'. Mia smiled at her and motioned for her to continue.  
>'Well... it took a while to get Ryan sorted with a new look, so... why don't we go on who will take the least amount of time?', Mia looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Jean sighed, 'who feels they don't need have a haircut and make over, once their human?'. George, Dennis, Royce and Jean herself raised their hands. 'Right... we can be changed fastest then. We just need to change clothes and we're done', Royce turned to Mia and smiled.<br>'Okay... this is how it's going to go. Jean, you'll go next. Then George, then Dennis, and finally Royce', she turned to face Billy and Susan. 'Do you mind going tomorrow?', Billy shook his head and bounced on the spot, Susan growled at Mia. 'Scared of the competition, Mia?', Mia laughed and walked over to Susan's cubicle.  
>'Susan... I don't want to sound rude here, but... your a whore. The reason why your here, is because your a whore. Anyone with self-respect, would not touch you with a condom protected bargpole. I wouldn't flatter yourself, sweetie. Times have changed, whores that look like you are no longer in style'. Mia stood up and turned to the others. They all looked at her with blank faces, Royce smirked and burst out laughing, Ryan joined in and started to applaud Mia.<br>'Someone finally found the right words!', Royce leant down and kissed her on the lips, 'You have attitude!'. Mia beamed at him and kissed him back, Jean placed a small hand on Mia's shoulder. 'May I have a quiet word, Mia?' she whispered into her ear, Mia nodded and left the basement.  
>'Mia, you know my situation, yes?' she asked in a soft voice.<br>'Situation?', Jean gave her a warm smile.  
>'I can't go back to my family, they have moved on. However... I cannot live without my family'. Her eyes filled with tears, Mia placed her hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. 'Jean... What do you want to do?', Jean let out a small chuckle, she wiped the tears from her eyes.<br>'I just want to ... pass'. Mia nodded and led her back into the basement, Jean wiped away the tears from her rosy cheek. The ghosts were non the wiser of them returning into the room, Ryan and Royce had teamed up against Susan, the trio were in a full blown argument.  
>'What makes you think you can sleep with anyone?' Ryan spat, Susan cackled and blew a kiss at him. Ryan grimaced at her and turned away, Mia rolled her eyes at Susan.<br>'Okay, I'm going to let you guys decided between yourselves who goes next', Mia grinned and leant up against the glass. Everyone exchanged nervous looks, and gulped. Jean stepped forward, 'I think Royce should go next... for Mia', Mia and Royce shook their heads together.  
>'No, don't do that! Me and Mia will be fine', Royce cried. Jean shrugged and stepped back into her cubicle just as George let out a deep cough, 'ladies first?'. He pulled out his arm and gestured towards Jean, Susan scoffed from the corner.<br>'Am I not a lady then, George?' she smiled sweetly.  
>'No. You have a dick, now shut the fuck up' Ryan snapped, he barely turned his body to look at her before she slunk back into darkness. Royce chuckled, 'Guess her silence means she actually has one!'. Susan jumped at the glass, 'At least mine is bigger than yours, dickhead!'. Royce laughed, 'I very much doubt that!', Susan opened her mouth to reply, but Mia jumped infront of the glass. 'Okay, Okay! Going a bit off subject here!', Royce pulled her away from the glass and hugged her.<br>George held out his arm towards Jean again, Mia stared at Jean as she placed her head in her hands.  
>'I can't do it... I can't be human again', the room fell silent as everyone's eyes bore into Jean. She raised her head as tears dripped down onto the floor, 'my family have moved on, they have found peace without me. If I were to enter their lives again after everything... it would only cause more hurt'. Billy's lip trembled as he tried to keep the tears from flowing over, 'can't you just stay here... with us?'. Jean smiled at Billy and knelt down to him, 'I love you all, so very much... but I can't live without my family. It would be like starting again, and I'm too old for that, dear'. Jean stroked Billy's face and kissed him lightly on the forehead. 'Anyway, I'm sure Royce and Mia will be wanting to have the place to themselves' Jean added, all eyes turned to Mia and Royce who shifted uncomfortably in the corner. 'Course not. Everyone is welcome to stay for aslong as they want' Mia said, Ryan sniggered, 'Yeah right, Mia. I think Royce is wanting to get you all to himself ASAP'. Mia blushed and placed her head into Royce's jacket, Dennis frowned at Ryan from across the basement, Ryan sniggered at his comment, but behind his eyes he was in deep pain. Mia shook her head and changed the subject, 'guys! Who's next?'. Jean smiled, 'may i suggest Dennis?'. Dennis snapped his head up and looked at Mia, George nodded in agreement.<br>'Dennis?' Mia asked, giving her brother a big grin.  
>'Well... Yes' Dennis replied, he stood up straight and gave Jean a thankful smile. Mia hugged her brother and led him out of the basement. Jean slowly walked over to Royce and placed a small hand on his shoulder.<br>'Look after Mia, she is a good girl, she deserves happiness', Royce pulled Jean into a short hug.  
>'Of course I'll look after her, Jean'. Ryan bowed his head slightly and walked past Royce, 'You best. Otherwise someone else might try for a chance' Ryan mumbled into Royce's ear. Royce's eyes flashed red as he turned to watch the 'new' Ryan exit the basement with a smug smile.<p>

Mia ran down the steps of the basement, she sprinted to the end of the corridor and waited. She carefully looked through the different cubicles to find any sign of Dennis. Royce and the others followed her, 'Ryan, how long did it take for you to turn up?'. Ryan shrugged, 'couple of minutes'. Mia groaned against the wall, 'what if it hasn't worked?'. Everyone shook their heads, Ryan walked over to comfort her, 'Mia, just be patient'. Mia looked up at him and smiled, his blue eyes soothed Mia as he pulled her into a hug. Royce clenched his fists from the other side of the basement, 'Ryan, maybe you should check upstairs to see if he appeared somewhere else'. Ryan ignored Royce's comment and continued to cling onto his love.  
>'Mia?', she snapped her head round to the corner of the basement. Dennis stood there looking slightly muddled and unstable. Mia darted towards Dennis and hugged him, he squeezed her gently and lifted her off the ground like she were a small child.<br>'It feels good to be human again', Dennis sighed and placed Mia back on the ground.  
>'You feel like dancing, yeah?' Ryan winked at him and started to sway his hips. Dennis chuckled and nodded at Ryan, a big grin spread across his face.<br>'Mia it defiantly works! No doubt', Mia beamed up at him and agreed. 'BILLY! Your next! Up them stairs!', Billy peeked out from behind Royce and grinned at her. Mia quickly turned back to Dennis, 'you have the east side master bedroom, your clothes are already in there'. Dennis kissed his sisters hair, 'thankyou, Mia'.  
>'MIA! COME ON!' Billy's voice could be heard from outside the basement. Mia dashed past the crowd and grabbed Royce's hand, they quickly left the basement to turn Billy human.<br>George walked up the basement stairs with Jean at his side, they walked out into the beaming sunlight and strolled around the grounds.  
>'How are you going to leave us then?' George glanced at Jean, she shrugged slightly.<br>'The only way would be to perform the spells wrong. It seems unfair to Mia though, to put her under that much pressure'.  
>'It will be different not having you here with us. We are all one big family now, and you seem to be the glue that holds us all together'. Jean took George's large hand and held it in hers.<br>'Don't worry, I will always look down on you all and look after you', Jean smiled at him and gently hugged him.  
>'What will happen to Billy?' George asked, Jean's lip trembled slightly.<br>'He reminds me of my Bobby in so many ways, it feels wrong to leave him after we have become so close'. George showed his sympathy by placing a hand on her back, 'Jean, I meant... who will look after him?'.  
>They exchanged concerned looks, 'Royce and Mia will be wanting to start a new life together. It wouldn't be fair to leave them with the burden of a child'.<br>'Should I look after him? I know he may not want to have another parent, but I wouldn't mind having a child in my life'. 'George, that's incredibly sweet. We will have to discuss the arrangements with the others when certain little ears aren't around'. George and Jean turned to face the house and saw the incredible machine rise to life once more, as another ghost was to be made human again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Everyone Will Be Human

Billy ran through the house like a mad dog, 'RYAN! Bet you can't catch me?', Ryan chuckled and leaped off the sofa to chase him into the garden. Mia walked into the kitchen and gazed at Ryan and Billy wrestling on the grass. 'He has his childhood back', Mia sighed as Royce walked into the room, 'who? Ryan or Billy?' Royce laughed. Mia smiled and waved out the window to them, Ryan dropped Billy from his arms and waved back enthusiastically, Billy bared his teeth and dived into Ryan, sending him straght for the floor.  
>'Mia?' Dennis was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded, 'yeah?' Mia turned and gave a bright smile to her brother. 'What's going to happen now?', Dennis asked. Royce put his hand on Mia's shoulder, 'I think Mia should rest for a while, no rush, is there?'. Mia looked at him through her specs, she longed to see him human and even more beautiful, to experience their love in human form. Mia turned to Dennis and shook her head. 'There is a rush. I want everyone to be as happy as they are right now', she pointed to Ryan and Billy running round the garden. Dennis gave his sister a warm smile, 'I'm proud of you, Mia'. Mia smiled back and turned back to look out of the window. Dennis turned away and walked down the hall.<p>

'George? George?' Mia paced round the house until he flashed into view. 'Holy shit!' Mia jumped backwards and glared at him, 'cheers!'. George smiled, 'I'm not that scary am I?', Mia pulled a face and smiled. 'Well, you won't be scary for much longer, no offence. I was wondering if you wanted to come down and... y'know' Mia looked at him with wide eyes. George gave a short chuckle, 'I thought Royce would be next on your list?'. Mia shook her head, 'Royce and I both agreed that we want to get everyone else out of the way first... otherwise, I'll get distracted if he's human', Mia flushed bright red. George walked over to her and placed a giant hand on her head, 'Too much information'. Mia and George walked downstairs, and straight into the fron room.  
>Ryan and Royce stood in the living room watching the machine rise to life through the glass walls. 'Bet you can't wait to be human' Ryan said, Royce looked down at him and shrugged. 'Yeah I suppose', Ryan raised an eyebrow at him, 'I know we ain't the best of buds but... you can't tell me that your not looking forward to being human... for Mia'. Royce frowned slightly causing a small wrinkle to appear between his brows, 'How do you know it'll make a big difference to our relationship?'. Ryan laughed and turned his attention back to Mia who stood on the edge of the machine reading from the book. 'What?' Royce asked, Ryan shrugged, 'I know you haven't 'sealed the deal', Royce'. Royce's jaw dropped, 'how the fuck do you know anything about our sex life?'. 'It's not really a 'sex' life is it?', Ryan chuckled. Royce growled and walked away into the kitchen. Ryan watched him leave and smiled to himself.<br>Royce thumped his fist against the bench and cursed. Royce could see the way Ryan looked at her, could see the lust in his eyes. Royce saw the way Mia loved him, the way she hugged him and laughed with him. Mia loved him but he knew that a part of her loved Ryan.  
>'HEY! George is on his way down to the basement! Come on!' Mia popped her head round the kitchen door and motioned for Royce to follow her. Royce jogged to catch up with Mia, they ran down the basement stairs and saw George walking round the corner, he was human. George smiled at the group of people staring at him, 'Are you alright?' Mia asked, George nodded, adjusting himself with his healed body. 'Everything there?' Ryan asked, George scanned his body, 'yes, Ryan'. Ryan nodded, 'still got your manhood?', George frowned, 'yes I hav-', he turned around and patted himself, 'YES I HAVE!'. Ryan cackled with joy and gave George a manly hug, everyone joined in with a big hug.<br>Royce pulled Mia into a hug and kissed her softly on her lips, a kiss that made her tingle all over. 'Oh, hello', Mia sighed. Royce leant into her ear and whispered lightly, 'I want to be human ASAP. I want to show you how much I love you'. Mia blushed and kissed him again, her specs crushed between their faces. Mia pulled herself together and turned to face the group, 'Susan is next. Whether she likes it or not, by the end of tonight... everyone will be human'.

'What do you want?' Susan snarled, Mia rolled her eyes and sighed. 'I came to escort you to the main hall, it's your turn', Mia smiled. Susan stared at her blankly, not sure whether to laugh or attack Mia. 'I thought I was too much of a monster to turn human?' Susan asked, she slowly crawled out of her dark corner to stare Mia in the eyes. Mia stared straight back at her, not flinching at her low snarl. 'Even so, I still maintain that you have every right to be humand again... even if it is debatable' Mia replied. Susan squinted her eyes at Mia for a minute or two, Mia sighed, 'Susan, I haven't got all day!'. Susan snapped out of her daydream and snarled at Mia, 'okay then!'. Mia breathed deeply and whistled for the guys to come and help. Royce and Dennis jogged down the basement stairs, Mia pushed the cubicle's button. Susan's vicious expression sent a chill down Mia's spine. Dennis stopped and looked at Mia, 'Mia, she isn't 5 years old... surely she should be allowed to walk there herself'. Mia and Royce stared at Dennis with wide eyes, 'Dennis, have you forgotten what this monster did to Mia, your little sister?' Royce snapped. Dennis stared at the floor then quickly shifted his gaze to stare at Susan, Susan met his eyes and for the first time in years they were filled with happiness. 'I know what she did, but I dunno... I just have this feeling that she's changed', Dennis said lightly. Royce's jaw dropped and Mia just stared at her brother with a blank expression, 'Come on Mee! You know that anyone can change. Would she really sabotage her chance to become human?' Dennis stared at Mia with desperate eyes. Mia felt a twinge of guilt and sighed, 'fine! But if she so much looks at anyone in a threatening way, then she'll be right back in this cubicle'. Dennis and Susan both tried to hide a beaming smile, Royce stared at them both and felt a twisting sensation in his guts that told him something wasn't right. Mia nodded towards Royce to leave the basement, Dennis smiled at Susan who stood up and smiled at him back. 'Well, you were right, Mia was 'won over'' Susan whispered, Dennis gave a light chuckle. 'If you start being nicer and less vicious then it should be easier next time', Dennis replied. Susan raised her eyebrow and stared at Dennis, 'I've never been nice in my life'. Dennis chuckled again, 'well this is your second life starting, maybe you could make a fresh change... for me?'. Susan flushed a shade of pink, 'I'll give it a go... for you'.

'Well that's all done. She should be down in the basement now', Mia said as she popped her head into the living room. Dennis jumped up, 'I'll go, give yourself a rest Mee', she smiled at him as he left the room. Royce tapped the space next to him on the sofa, Mia smiled and flopped down next to him. 'Mia, do you think something is going on between Dennis and Susan?' Royce whispered in her ear. Mia's eyebrows shot up, 'That's ludicrous!' Mia replied. Royce nodded in agreement, 'Yeah, sorry. Stupid thing to say, I don't know where my head is today'. Mia smiled at him and kissed him sweetly on the lips, it was a long and delicate kiss. Royce tried to stop her from pulling away, Mia didn't fight it. Ryan walked into the living room, 'whoaaaa! Sorry face-suckers!' Ryan covered his eyes and attempted to leave the room, instead he bumped straight into the wall, 'ouch!'. Mia pulled away from Royce, 'Ryan! Either uncover your eyes and leave or shut up!'. Ryan slowly removed his hand, 'how rude! I can see where I'm not wanted!', he pretended to fling back his hair and strut off. Mia chuckled as she found Royce's lips once more. 'I can't wait for tonight' Mia mumbled against Royce's lips. Royce stopped kissing and looked at her, 'tonight?'. Mia rolled her eyes and ran her fingers through his soft black hair. 'Tonight... we... y'know, when you're human. It'll be perfect' Mia kissed his nose softly. 'Of course!' Royce beamed. Mia jumped off the sofa and looked at the clock, I better see how thing's are going downstairs. Get ready to be human, I'll be back in 10!' Mia squealed. Royce waved her off then dropped his head into his hands, 'shit, shit, shit, shitty, shit, shit!'. George sat down in the armchair opposite Royce, 'what's the problem?'. Royce looked up and sighed, 'It doesn't matter... just need a time-out'. George nodded, not wanting to push the conversation anymore. Royce left the room as George turned on the TV, Royce looked out into the garden and wished the next hour or so to come quick. Mia snuck into the kitchen and placed her arms around Royce's waist. 'You ready?' she whispered, Royce nodded slowly, 'yes'.

The large steel girders twisted and turned, surrounding Royce in the middle of the vast room. Mia repeated the words, with her eyes transfixed on Royce in the centre, his jet black hair blowing slightly from the rush of the machine. His piercing blue eyes followed the giant rings as they dipped in and out of the hollow floor. Royce glanced at Mia who looked as white as a ghost, a small frown started to appear on her face, making her look like a irritated child. Royce smiled and closed his eyes as a burning light passed through his body. Royce breathed in deeply and opened his eyes to see the sparkling glass of the basement. Royce blinked his eyes a few more times just to be certain, 'it worked' he breathed. He could hear footsteps coming his way, 'ROYCE! ROYCE! Answer me!' Mia's distressed voice was echoeing through the basement. Mia stumbled round the corner, breathless and wide-eyed, 'Royce?' she stared at him. Royce's stomach twisted, he felt that something was wrong. 'Mia? What's wrong?' he asked, his voice was clearer than ever, no longer distant like he was talking behind a glass wall. Mia held her hand to her mouth, as her eyes started to scan Royce. 'Nothing is wrong... you're perfect', Mia ran to him and jumped in his arms, he could actually feel her. His arms wrapped round her, feeling her warm skin. Mia held onto him for dear life, he felt full... full of life. She pulled back and gazed at him, his torn face was now healed to perfection, his skin pale but glowing. Royce's ocean blue eyes stood out magnificently, it momentarily took Mia's breath away. 'I thought I had lost you' Mia whispered, she placed her forehead against his, Royce smiled a perfect smile, 'I would never let that happen'. 


End file.
